Elon Musk likely broke the law by giving voters $1 million, Wisconsin board says

Key Points:

• A bipartisan panel from the Wisconsin Elections Commission found probable cause that Elon Musk likely violated state election bribery laws by handing out $1 million checks to voters in the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, referring complaints to the Brown County district attorney for possible criminal charges.
• Musk and groups he supported spent at least $20 million backing Republican candidate Brad Schimel, who lost to Democrat Susan Crawford, with the election becoming the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history at over $100 million spent.
• Complaints were filed by voters in Milwaukee and Green Bay after Musk distributed checks at a rally days before the election, and his political action committee also offered $100 incentives for petition signatures opposing "activist judges."
• Legal challenges are ongoing, including a lawsuit by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign seeking to bar Musk from offering cash payments in the state, while Musk’s attorneys claim the giveaways are protected free speech and not direct candidate advocacy.
• Musk employed a similar tactic during the 2024 presidential election by offering daily $1 million payments to petition signers in battleground states, with courts allowing the effort to continue after ruling it was not an illegal lottery.