Wisconsin Board Claims Musk Violated Laws With $1 Million Gift
WHO:
CNN - Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla.
CNN - Wisconsin Elections Commission, a bipartisan panel consisting of three Democrats and three Republicans.
CNN - Brown County District Attorney David Lasee, a Republican.
CNN - Democratic-backed candidate Susan Crawford and Republican-backed candidate Brad Schimel.
WHAT:
CNN - Musk's spending on the 2025 race has already resulted in one lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which seeks to prohibit him from ever again offering cash payments in the state.
CNN - The lawsuit alleges that Musk and two groups he funds violated prohibitions on vote bribery and unauthorized lotteries and that his actions were an unlawful conspiracy and public nuisance.
CNN - Wisconsin’s Democratic attorney general sued to stop Musk from handing over the checks to two voters, but was rejected by state courts.
CNN - Musk spent at least $20 million on the candidate backed by Republicans, Brad Schimel, who lost by 10 percentage points to Democratic-backed candidate Susan Crawford.
CNN - Musk's spending on the election topped $100 million, making it the most expensive judicial race in US history.
CNN - Musk's political action committee used a nearly identical tactic before the 2024 presidential election, offering to pay $1 million a day to voters in Wisconsin and six other battleground states who signed a petition supporting the First and Second amendments.
CNN - Musk handed out $1 million checks to voters in the 2025 state Supreme Court election.
CNN - The Wisconsin Elections Commission referred two complaints to the Brown County district attorney’s office regarding Musk's actions.
CNN - Musk's spending on the election topped $100 million, making it the most expensive judicial race in US history.
CNN - Musk's political action committee, America PAC, offered $100 to voters who signed a petition opposing "activist judges."
CNN - Musk's actions have resulted in a lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, seeking to prohibit him from offering cash payments in the state.
WHERE:
CNN - The complaints were brought by voters in Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wisconsin.
CNN - Checks were handed out at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
WHEN:
CNN - The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 5-1 to refer the complaints to the district attorney last week.
CNN - Prosecutors have 40 days to report back to the commission.
CNN - Musk's political action committee used a similar tactic before the 2024 presidential election.
WHY:
CNN - Musk’s attorneys argued in legal filings in 2025 that Musk was exercising his free speech rights with the giveaways and any attempt to restrict that would violate both the Wisconsin and US constitutions.
CNN - Musk's actions have resulted in a lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which seeks to prohibit him from ever again offering cash payments in the state, alleging violations of vote bribery and unauthorized lotteries.
CNN - The Wisconsin Elections Commission found probable cause that Musk broke state law by offering money to induce voting in the Supreme Court election.
CNN - Musk's attorneys argued that the payments were intended to generate a grassroots movement against activist judges, not to advocate for or against any candidate.
HOW:
CNN - Musk's attorneys argued in legal filings that the payments were intended to generate a grassroots movement in opposition to activist judges, not to expressly advocate for or against any candidate.
CNN - Musk made a social media post offering $1 million to people who voted in the Supreme Court election.
CNN - Musk's political action committee offered payments to voters who signed a petition.
(UPDATED July 15, 2026 00:12 UTC)
Musk's financial involvement in the 2025 race has led to a lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which aims to prevent him from making cash payments in the state. The lawsuit claims that Musk and two groups he funds have violated laws against vote bribery and unauthorized lotteries, labeling their actions as an unlawful conspiracy and public nuisance. Although Wisconsin's Democratic attorney general attempted to stop Musk from distributing checks to voters, state courts ultimately rejected that effort, with Musk's attorneys arguing that the giveaways were a matter of free speech protected by the Wisconsin and US constitutions.
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(UPDATED July 14, 2026 22:17 UTC)
Musk's political spending has reached a staggering $100 million, making it the most expensive judicial race in US history, although he backed Republican candidate Brad Schimel, who ultimately lost to Democrat Susan Crawford by 10 percentage points. Following these actions, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign has filed a lawsuit aimed at preventing Musk from offering cash payments in the state, claiming he violated laws against vote bribery and unauthorized lotteries. Musk's legal team contends that the payments were meant to foster a grassroots movement against activist judges, rather than to directly support or oppose any specific candidate.
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(UPDATED July 14, 2026 21:20 UTC)
Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla, has come under scrutiny after handing out $1 million checks to voters during the 2025 state Supreme Court election, which has now become the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history with Musk's spending exceeding $100 million. The Wisconsin Elections Commission, a bipartisan panel, has referred two complaints to Brown County District Attorney David Lasee, alleging that Musk's actions may have violated state law by attempting to induce voting through monetary incentives. In response, Musk's political action committee, America PAC, has faced a lawsuit from the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which seeks to prohibit him from offering cash payments in the state.