Billionaire Elon Musk gives $1 million to Wisconsin voter Ekaterina Diestler during a town hall meeting he was hosting at the KI Convention Center on March 30th, 2025, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. | Image: Getty Images
On Sunday, a few thousand people in Green Bay, Wisconsin, gathered to hear Elon Musk speak â and give away two giant cardboard checks for $1 million. Attendance at the event was limited to people who had added their names to a petition against âactivist judges,â created by Muskâs America PAC. He has promised money and other âsurprise announcementsâ to people who sign the petition, and the splashy million-dollar giveaway ratcheted up the stakes. After their names were announced, winners shuffled onstage to awkwardly accept the prop checks and pause for a photo op with Musk, who has poured tens of millions of dollars into the race for Wisconsinâs Supreme Court seat.
The checks are Muskâs latest attempt to use his vast wealth to turn out voters ahead of Tuesdayâs election. He has promised $100 to voters who sign the âactivist judges petitionâ and micro-earnings for people who hold up a photo of Muskâs chosen candidate with a thumbs-up. The petition and the promises of money are a not-so-subtle way of collecting registered voter data.
Itâs the same playbook Musk deployed ahead of the November presidential election that some elections experts say broke the …
Read the full story at The Verge.