As both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris stump for votes, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is putting some of his money where his political values are.
Giving registered voters a $1 million check if they’ve signed a petition supporting free speech and a right to bear arms.
"We're going to be awarding a million dollars to, randomly, to people," Musk said.
Reaction has been quick, from talk shows, and political scientists, who admit -- financially incentivizing someone to sign a petition is different from incentivizing someone to vote.
"There is a law, a federal law, against an inducement to vote, meaning that if someone goes to the polling place to vote, and you're outside the polling place handing out donuts thanking them for voting, it's technically illegal in federal elections,” said Paul Mitchell, vice president of Political Data Inc.
Either way, Don Heider of Santa Clara University's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics calls Musk's move eyebrow-raising.
"Let's elect candidates who we think will help the country, do the best leading the country. Let's not elect candidates based on some financial reward, or any kind of compensation," he said.
Politics
For now, Musk is focusing on Pennsylvania, but says his petition, and money drawing, is also available to voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.
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