US judge rules Elon Musk's $1M voter giveaway can continue
A judge has ruled that Elon Musk's political action committee, America PAC, can continue its $1 million giveaway to voters in swing states.
The giveaway, which is set to conclude on Tuesday, will see the final recipient awarded the funds, a lawyer representing the billionaire confirmed in a court hearing, News.Az reports, citing BBC.In a surprising turn, the lawyer revealed that people receiving the money have not been chosen randomly in a lottery-style contest, as many believed, but were selected by the group.
Philadelphia District Attorney Lawrence Krasner had sued to stop what he called an "an illegal lottery" after Musk announced he would give the money to one voter in a swing state each day until Election Day.
Pennsylvania Judge Angelo Foglietta did not immediately give a reason for the ruling, made a few hours after the hearing.
On Monday, America PAC announced a man named Joshua in Arizona had been awarded the day's sum.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, which Mr Musk owns, the group added: "Every day until Election Day, a person who signs will be selected to earn $1m as a spokesperson for America PAC."
But when the world's richest man unveiled the giveaway last month, many believed it was a random drawing for registered voters who signed a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments of the US Constitution.
“We are going to be awarding $1m randomly to people who have signed the petition, every day, from now until the election," Musk told a campaign event.
A few days later, the US justice department warned that the group could be breaking election laws, which forbid paying people to register to vote. Krasner's office sued to stop it.
Mr Musk has been aggressively campaigning for Republican White House candidate Donald Trump in swing states across the country, and his committee has been pushing hard in Pennsylvania, where polls suggest Trump is in a tie with his Democratic rival, Vice-President Kamala Harris.
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