Sign a petition and take the chance to win one million dollars, equivalent to 10.5 million kronor. The first check was handed out over the weekend at a campaign meeting in the state of Pennsylvania to a person in the audience, and the lottery is intended to continue daily until the US election is decided.
Behind the jackpot stands the world's richest man – the multibillionaire, Tesla founder, and Trump supporter Elon Musk. Everyone who signs the petition "in support of freedom of speech and the right to bear arms" gets 100 dollars for their trouble.
Only in Swing States
The initiative is now receiving criticism from several quarters and is seen as a way to recruit votes in favor of Trump, not only in Pennsylvania but also in other states believed to be crucial for the election outcome. It is also only registered voters in swing states who can sign the petition – and thus have a chance to be drawn as winners.
Pennsylvania's Governor Josh Shapiro calls the whole thing "deeply disturbing" in the NBC program Meet the Press, and Rick Hasen, professor at UCLA, points out in an interview with the AP news agency that it is illegal to pay people to register to vote.
If he (Musk) pays people to sign a petition, it would just be a waste of money, but it's not illegal, he notes.
Must be Registered
What can make the whole thing illegal is the fact that those who want to participate must register to vote in the election.
This makes it illegal, according to Hasen.
Michael Kang, law professor at Northwestern University, is on the same line:
It's not exactly the same as paying someone to vote, but it's close enough to raise questions about legality, he says.
