2026-07-14T20:11:44.252Z / 美联社
斯科特·奥尔森/盖蒂图片社/档案照片
威斯康星州麦迪逊 美联社电——
一个两党组成的委员会认定，亿万富翁埃隆·马斯克在2025年威斯康星州最高法院选举中向选民发放100万美元支票的行为，大概率违反了威斯康星州法律。
威斯康星州选举委员会上周将两起投诉提交给布朗县地方检察官办公室，该办公室可就违反州选举贿赂法的行为提起刑事指控。检察官需在40天内向委员会反馈调查结果。
作为太空探索技术公司（SpaceX）创始人、特斯拉首席执行官的马斯克，深度参与了撬动这个摇摆州最高法院多数席位控制权的行动。
这位科技巨头及其支持的团体至少为共和党-backed 候选人布拉德·希梅尔投入了2000万美元，但希梅尔最终以10个百分点的差距败给了民主党支持的候选人苏珊·克劳福德。
在这场一边倒的失利一个月后，马斯克宣布将大幅减少政治竞选投入。此次选举总开支超过1亿美元，成为美国历史上开销最高的司法竞选。
根据州法律，这些投诉处于保密状态，由密尔沃基和布朗县的绿湾市的选民提起。选举前几天，马斯克在当地一场集会上向选民发放了支票。
选举委员会发言人埃米莉·米克拉斯表示，由三名民主党人和三名共和党人组成的威斯康星州选举委员会周四在闭门会议上以5票赞成、1票反对的投票结果，将投诉提交给地方检察官。
布朗县地方检察官、共和党人大卫·拉西周二未立即回复置评请求。
选举委员会通过的动议显示，委员会有合理理由认定马斯克违反了威斯康星州法律，他在社交媒体发帖称将向参与最高法院选举投票的人提供100万美元，“以诱导他们参与此次选举投票”。
马斯克的发言人未立即回复置评请求。
共有三名威斯康星州选民收到了马斯克发放的支票，其中两人是在绿湾集会上亲自领取的。选举前两周，马斯克的政治行动委员会“美国政治行动委员会”向签署反对“激进法官”请愿书的选民提供100美元，或向推荐他人签署请愿书的人提供100美元。
克劳福德的胜选保住了自由派在州最高法院的控制权，今年民主党支持的候选人克里斯·泰勒获胜后，自由派的多数席位扩大到5比2。
马斯克在2025年竞选活动中的支出已经引发了政府监督组织“威斯康星民主运动”提起的一起诉讼，该组织请求禁止马斯克今后再在该州提供现金奖励。
这起诉讼目前在布朗县待审，指控马斯克及其资助的两个团体违反了选举贿赂和未经授权彩票的禁令，称其行为构成非法共谋和公共妨害。
威斯康星州民主党总检察长曾起诉阻止马斯克向两名选民支付支票，但被州法院驳回。
马斯克的律师在2025年的法律文件中辩称，马斯克发放现金奖励是在行使言论自由权，任何限制该行为的企图都将违反威斯康星州和美国宪法。
马斯克的律师在法庭文件中称，这些付款“旨在发起反对激进法官的草根运动，而非明确支持或反对任何候选人”。
马斯克的政治行动委员会在2024年总统大选前使用了几乎相同的策略，向威斯康星州和其他六个摇摆州签署支持《第一修正案》和《第二修正案》请愿书的选民提供每日100万美元的奖励。宾夕法尼亚州一名法官表示，检方未能证明该活动属于非法彩票，允许其持续到选举日。
Elon Musk likely broke the law by giving voters $1 million, Wisconsin board says
2026-07-14T20:11:44.252Z / Associated Press
Elon Musk speaks during a town hall meeting at the KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on March 30, 2025.
Scott Olson/Getty Images/File
Madison, Wisconsin AP—
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.
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.
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.
Brown County District Attorney David Lasee, a Republican, did not immediately return a message seeking comment Tuesday.
The motion approved by the elections commission said it found probable cause that Musk broke Wisconsin law by making a social media post offering $1 million to people who voted in the Supreme Court election “in order to induce them to vote in that election.”
Spokespeople for Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Three Wisconsin voters received checks from Musk, including two who got them in person at the Green Bay rally. Two weeks before the election, Musk’s political action committee, America PAC, offered $100 to voters who signed a petition in opposition to “activist judges,” or referred someone to sign it.
Crawford’s win kept liberals in control of the state Supreme Court, and their majority grew to 5-2 after Democratic-backed candidate Chris Taylor’s victory this year.
Musk’s spending on the 2025 race has already resulted in one lawsuit filed by a government watchdog group, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, which seeks to prohibit him from ever again offering cash payments in the state.
That lawsuit is pending in Brown County. It alleges that Musk and two groups he funds violated prohibitions on vote bribery and unauthorized lotteries and that his actions were an unlawful conspiracy and public nuisance.
Wisconsin’s Democratic attorney general sued to stop Musk from handing over the checks to two voters, but was rejected by state courts.
Musk’s attorneys argued in legal filings in 2025 that Musk was exercising his free speech rights with the giveaways and any attempt to restrict that would violate both the Wisconsin and US constitutions.
The payments are “intended to generate a grassroots movement in opposition to activist judges, not to expressly advocate for or against any candidate,” Musk’s attorneys argued in court filings.
Musk’s political action committee used a nearly identical tactic before the 2024 presidential election, offering to pay $1 million a day to voters in Wisconsin and six other battleground states who signed a petition supporting the First and Second amendments. A judge in Pennsylvania said prosecutors failed to show the effort was an illegal lottery and allowed it to continue through Election Day.
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