The Wisconsin Elections Commission has forwarded complaints against Elon Musk to the Brown County District Attorney, citing potential violations of state election laws linked to Musk’s offer of $1 million to voters during the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election. The commission found that Musk may have breached rules prohibiting the offering of anything of value to influence a vote, which is considered election bribery under Wisconsin law.
According to the commission, Musk posted on social media a promise to personally hand over $1 million checks to individuals who voted in the contested election. After backlash, Musk deleted the post and claimed the payments would instead be awarded to those who signed a petition opposing “activist judges,” detaching the payment from the act of voting. Despite this clarification, the commission maintained that the initial offer could have unlawfully induced voters.
The complaint came amid Musk’s active involvement in the race through his America PAC, which reportedly spent millions supporting the Republican-backed candidate Brad Schimel, who ultimately lost to Democrat Susan Crawford. Prior to the election, America PAC also incentivized voters with $100 if they signed or encouraged others to sign a petition against activist judges. Musk later handed out oversized novelty checks totaling $1 million to three petition signers at a political rally in Green Bay.
The bipartisan commission, composed of three Democrats and three Republicans, is tasked with enforcing federal and state election laws and reviewing complaints about potential illegal election conduct. The decision to press charges now rests with Brown County District Attorney David Lasee. If the DA pursues charges, Musk could face criminal prosecution for offering monetary incentives tied to voting behavior.
This case highlights the legal limits on influencing elections through monetary inducements and raises questions about the permissible scope of political contributions and activism during judicial races in Wisconsin.