Musk's $1M Wisconsin Checks Likely Broke Law: Board

Billionaire handed out checks to voters ahead of impactful 2025 election
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 15, 2026 2:00 AM CDT
Musk's $1M Wisconsin Checks Likely Broke Law: Board
Elon Musk hands over a million dollar check to Nicholas Jacobs during a town hall in Green Bay, Wis., March 30, 2025.   (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, File)

Billionaire Elon Musk likely broke Wisconsin law when he handed out $1 million checks to voters in the 2025 state Supreme Court election, a bipartisan panel has found. The Wisconsin Elections Commission last week referred two complaints to the Brown County district attorney's office, which can choose to bring criminal charges over violating the state law against election bribery. Prosecutors have 40 days to report back to the commission, the AP reports.

The complaints, which are confidential under state law, were brought by voters in Milwaukee and Green Bay, which is in Brown County. Musk handed out checks at a rally there just days before the election. The Wisconsin Elections Commission, consisting of three Democrats and three Republicans, voted 5-1 in closed session on Thursday to refer the complaints to the district attorney, the commission's spokesperson Emilee Miklas said.

Musk, the founder of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla, was deeply involved in the effort to flip majority control of the highest court in battleground Wisconsin. The tech titan and groups he supported spent at least $20 million on the candidate backed by Republicans, Brad Schimel. However, he lost by 10 percentage points to Democratic-backed candidate Susan Crawford. A month after the lopsided loss, Musk announced that he would be spending far less on political campaigns. Spending on the election topped $100 million, making it the most expensive judicial race in US history.

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