Wisconsin attorney general sues to block Elon Musk $2m election giveaway

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Wisconsin's attorney general is seeking to stop Elon Musk from giving away $2m (£1.5m) to two voters ahead of the state's supreme court election.

In a lawsuit, attorney general Josh Kaul called the offer an "egregious attempt to buy votes" and alleged the tech billionaire and his political action committee violated Wisconsin election laws.

The 1 April election, which has drawn national attention, will determine whether Wisconsin's highest court will have a liberal or conservative majority.

On 27 March, Mr Musk posted on X that he would give a talk in Wisconsin on Sunday and "personally hand over two checks for a million dollars each in appreciation for you taking the time to vote".

Mr Musk, a top adviser to US President Donald Trump, clarified in a tweet the next day that he would give cheques to two people "to be spokesmen" for a petition being promoted by his political action committee, America PAC.

The petition asks voters to reject "activist judges".

Its page promises Wisconsin voters $100 for signing the petition, and an additional $100 for referring another person to sign.

America PAC posted on Thursday that a man named Scott Ainsworth from Green Bay, Wisconsin was the first "$1 Million spokesperson for signing our petition".

A video posted by the PAC showed Mr Ainsworth seated next to a large cheque decorated with an American flag design, encouraging others to sign.

America PAC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
 
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