Musk group offers $100 to Wisconsin voters ahead of pivotal state Supreme Court election

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By SCOTT BAUER
Updated 9:23 AM CDT, March 21, 2025

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A group funded by billionaire Elon Musk is offering Wisconsin voters $100 to sign a petition in opposition to “activist judges,” a move that comes two weeks before the state’s Supreme Court election and after the political action committee made a similar proposal last year in battleground states.

Musk’s political action committee America PAC announced the petition in a post on X on Thursday night. It promises $100 for each Wisconsin voter who signs the petition and another $100 for each signer they refer.

The campaign for Susan Crawford, the Democratic-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court, said Musk was trying to buy votes ahead of the April 1 election. The offer was made two days after early voting started in the hotly contested race between Crawford and Brad Schimel, the preferred candidate of Musk and Republicans.

The winner of the election will determine whether the court remains under liberal control or flips to a conservative majority.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-supreme-court-musk-trump-b9be6119d500bdacc9c6341be013cd62

[33taw]

1. Josh Kaul should investigate.

[Mz Pip]

2. This can't be legal

Not that it matters with the Elump crowd.

[Bayard]

4. Although he's gotten away with it before....

[Eugene]

5. Of course it's illegal. Now that Dump has taken over the FEC, state law is the only obstacle.

Eloon is repeating the same vote-buying trick as he did last November.

[Wiz Imp]

22. Paying people to sign a petition isn't explicitly against Federal law.

It is against state law in some states such as Maryland (MD Election Law Code § 16-401 -

(a) A person may not willfully and knowingly:
(1) give, transfer, promise, or offer anything of value for the purpose of inducing another person to sign or not sign any petition;

Wisconsin does not seem to have a similar law.

However, since Musk is doing this to identify potential Republican voters who he will then make sure they vote in the election - it effectively becomes a vote buying scheme which IS illegal. Wisconsin's AG should charge him with attempting to buy votes.

[mdbl]

27. It's only against the law if it is in support of a Democrat

according to the fascist crowd.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

25. It isn't legal my state, Washington

Not sure about Wisconsin.

[Lovie777]

3. Isn't paying voters usual blamed on ...

Dems?

Although not true, but it’s ok for republicans to pay voters?

[Marthe48]

6. Free beer

Register names on headstones?
Other age old tricks?

[Evolve Dammit]

17. Free whiskey and cash in the 1800's. Looks like it still works

[Marthe48]

23. Keeping minimum wage absurdly low

And artificially jacking up the prices on food and shelter is guaranteed to make any giveaways tempting, especially for the freedumb flock. In any century.
Bread and circus works too.

[Evolve Dammit]

29. So many (half?) have no resources and are vulnerable to any inducement. Half? have nothing. Nothing.

[bronxiteforever]

7. Correct headline"Musk and the GOP call Wisconsin voters cheap

whores” that they can buy for a little cash.”

[boonecreek]

8. What do you bet

that he welches?

[erronis]

9. The American Prospect: The Wisconsin Court Election Drawing Elon Musk's Money

https://prospect.org/justice/2025-03-21-wisconsin-court-election-drawing-elon-musks-money/

On April 1, Wisconsin voters will decide the ideological bent of their state’s Supreme Court in an election that has drawn the attention and cash of Elon Musk. The two candidates vying for a ten-year term are liberal trial court judge Susan Crawford and former Republican attorney general and current trial court judge Brad Schimel.

The election is technically apolitical—the candidates don’t run as Democrats or Republicans—but in reality it’s anything but. The election comes after the retirement of liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley last year. Since a 2023 Supreme Court election, the court has had a liberal majority for the first time in over a decade. Now, Justice Bradley’s retirement and the upcoming election threaten to throw that balance back to conservatives.

The consequences of a conservative majority on the court would be wide-ranging, potentially handing conservatives victories on abortion, elections, and organized labor. That’s why the election is being flooded with cash by the world’s richest man. All in all, the election has seen more than $66 million in spending, with $13 million of that coming from groups associated with Musk. The majority of the cash, $36 million, is benefiting Schimel. Some campaign finance experts have anticipated as much as $100 million to be spent, on an off-year state Supreme Court election.

With the massive flow of national money into a state race, it’s clear that this election has consequences that will likely reverberate across the country. Political observers are also looking at the election as a referendum on the Trump administration, Elon Musk, and the Democratic Party’s ability to hold on to power in a critical swing state.

. . .

[mdbl]

28. I hope all the social security recipients are watching

The $100 won't replace their missing checks.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

10. Hell, I'd take the money, sign the petition

and then vote for Susan Crawford if I lived in WI.

[Falconry]

12. I would too and then donate the money to charity.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

13. I like you the cut of your jib.

Welcome to DU.

[otchmoson]

15. Me, too!

Lying seems to be their way of life . . . so I would not feel one bit bad if I took their money and then voted for Crawford. I suppose, though, they would use the numbers of those who were paid to sign the petition measured against the actual vote to claim "election fraud" and keep it in the courts forever.

[Wiz Imp]

30. If they did that, they'd be admitting to breaking the law themselves

If they claim it's fraud for someone to sign the petition and then not vote republican, then that is an admission that the purpose of the petition was to buy people's votes - blatantly illegal.

[unweird]

20. In PA and did just that back in October

And did receive a check for $100. I didn’t directly give it to charity but did double my monthly ACLU donation which will net them $180 this year. I can sleep well with that.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

21. Good job sticking it to the MAGAt's.

[bluestarone]

11. Right out in the open.

If true drag the fucker in a court room, even if the judge has to deputize a Marshal. (marshal's if more are needed)

[littlemissmartypants]

14. Here's an idea...

Just give them each a Tesla.

[KS Toronado]

16. Hell yes

now that he has a backlog of unsold vehicles, they burn books we'll burn Teslas.

[milestogo]

18. Get the fuck out of our state. Get the fuck out of our country.

Go back to South Africa, if they'll have you.

[Grokenstein]

19. Just negotiating the price here, boss.

How many can be bought that cheaply? What does it cost to sell out your country?

[orangecrush]

24. Here we go again

[OrlandoDem2]

26. This is why ALL Democrats, Independents, and GOP must vote for Susan Crawford.

This is not democracy. This is not acceptable.

[creon]

31. It is a secret ballot

Take the $100 and vote against Musk.

He would never know.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

32. How is this legal?

Link to tweet

[alarimer]

33. If you have to pay people to sign your petition, your argument must not be that strong.

To say nothing of the fact that this petition is now fake because none of signatures are sincere.

[Blue Owl]

35. Don't be dumb enough to fall for this shit, Wisconsin

[pansypoo53219]

36. we ain't alabama. cheap idjit. + more an illinois thing. tho we got dirty under tommy fucking thompson.