Elon Musk might want to keep a lawyer on speed dial in Wisconsin. The state's Elections Commission has found that the billionaire's $1 million voter giveaway could be a crime, and now it's up to a local prosecutor to decide whether to press charges.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission, a bipartisan panel with three Republicans and three Democrats, voted 5-1 on Tuesday to forward two complaints against Musk to the Brown County District Attorney's office. The commission found "probable cause" that Musk violated a state law that prohibits offering "anything of value" to influence someone's vote.
The whole mess stems from Musk's cash giveaway program, which he rolled out during President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign and kept going through Wisconsin's April 2025 Supreme Court election. Musk offered $1 million checks to voters who signed a petition opposing "activist judges" — a petition organized by his political group. The checks were handed out just before a rally in Wisconsin, after the state Supreme Court refused to block the giveaway.
Musk initially announced the plan on social media, then deleted the post and clarified that only petition signers were eligible. He said two signers would each get $1 million to serve as "spokespeople" for the petition. Legal experts had already flagged the scheme as potentially violating election laws.
The commission's communications director, Emilee Miklas, told CBS News that the motion found probable cause that Musk broke the law. Now the ball is in David Lasee's court — he's the top prosecutor in Brown County, which covers Green Bay. Whether he'll actually charge Musk is anyone's guess.
This isn't the first time Musk's political spending has made headlines. He poured about $20 million into backing conservative candidate Brad Schimel in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. It didn't work: voters elected liberal judge Susan Crawford, keeping the court's 4-3 liberal majority intact.
And despite saying he'd pull back from political spending in 2025, Musk reemerged as a major Republican donor ahead of the November midterms, cutting a $5 million check to Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc.
For now, all eyes are on Brown County. If Lasee decides to pursue charges, it could set a precedent for how election bribery laws apply to deep-pocketed donors trying to sway voters with direct cash payments. And for Musk, it's just another legal headache to add to the pile.
