Elon Musk PAC says he'll pay $47 for each swing-state voter referral who signs petition
Tesla co-founder and Texas billionaire Elon Musk wants to help Former President Donald Trump nab voters in swing states with a new petition from the America PAC.
Musk, who has endorsed former President Trump’s White House campaign, encouraged users on his platform X to sign the pledge and make referrals.
What does the America PAC petition say?
The America PAC, a pro-Trump political action committee funded by Musk, shared a petition asking signatories to "pledge support" for the First and Second Amendments. The petition includes no other call to action except for promising a $47 payment to those who successfully share it with registered swing state voters and sign it.
The program, which expires Oct. 21, only applies to registered voters in swing states: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin or North Carolina.
What is a super PAC?
According to the Federal Election Commission, super PACs, also known as independent expenditure-only political committees, are allowed to receive unrestricted contributions from entities such as individuals, corporations, labor unions, and other political action committees.
These contributions solely serve the purpose of funding independent expenditures and other forms of independent political activities. It's important to note that Super PACs are prohibited from using these funds to make direct or indirect contributions, including in-kind contributions or coordinated communications, to federal candidates or committees.
Is pay-per-signature illegal?
According to Ballotpedia, it varies by state. In states like Arizona, Florida, and Utah, it is illegal for campaigns or employers to compensate based on the number of signatures collected.
Ballotpedia says there are no specific laws regarding pay-per-signature compensation in Texas.
However, according to Tex. Elec. Code. § 13.008, a person commits an offense in the state of Texas if they did the following regarding performance-based compensation for registering voters:
- Compensates another person based on the number of voter registrations that the other person successfully facilitates.
- Presents another person with a quota of voter registrations to facilitate as a condition of payment or employment.
- Engages in another practice that causes another person’s compensation from or employment status with the person to be dependent on the number of voter registrations that the other person facilitates
Map of pay-per-signature laws in all 50 states
Out of the 26 states with an initiative or referendum process, 17 allow campaigns to pay signature gatherers based on the number of signatures collected, while nine states prohibit such payments.
Here is a map highlighting those states.