Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk and his pro-Trump super PAC, America PAC, over an alleged illegal lottery targeting voters in key swing states.

The controversial scheme offers $1 million daily to randomly selected registered voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina who sign a petition supporting free speech and gun rights. Pennsylvania residents receive an additional $100 incentive, plus $100 for each referral.

Despite receiving a warning letter from the Justice Department, the program briefly paused but resumed operations, announcing winners from Michigan and Wisconsin. Federal law prohibits paying or offering payment for voter registration or voting, with violations carrying up to five years in prison.

The Philadelphia DA's lawsuit, filed in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, argues that the sweepstakes constitutes an illegal lottery by exchanging personal information and political pledges for prize chances.

Rick Hansen, Professor of Political Science at UCLA School of Law, points out that the DOJ Election Crimes Manual specifically identifies "lottery chances" as illegal voter inducement. The manual defines vote-buying as bribery under the US Constitution when intended to reward voters for ballot-related activities.

The scheme's constitutional petition may ironically violate the very Constitution it claims to support, as vote-buying through lottery chances directly contradicts constitutional principles regarding electoral integrity.

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