WISCONSIN — The Wisconsin Elections Commission found probable cause that Elon Musk violated state election bribery law by offering $1 million checks to voters and voted 5-1 on April 10, 2025, to refer two complaints against him to the Brown County District Attorney’s office. The commission’s action centers on Musk’s distribution of million-dollar checks to voters shortly before the April 1, 2025, Wisconsin Supreme Court election, which the commission concluded was intended to induce voting in violation of state law.

The motion approved by the commission stated that Musk violated a Wisconsin statute that makes it a crime to offer “anything of value” to induce someone to vote. It further specified that Musk broke state law by posting on social media an offer of $1 million to individuals who voted in the Supreme Court election “in order to induce them to vote in that election.” The commission, a bipartisan regulatory agency composed of three Republicans and three Democrats, determined there was sufficient evidence to warrant criminal review.

Elon Musk handed out $1 million checks to voters at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, several days before the April 2025 election. During a town hall in Green Bay on March 30, 2025, Musk presented one such check made out to Nicholas Jacobs. In total, three Wisconsin voters received $1 million checks from Musk, including two who accepted them in person at the Green Bay event. These payments were made through Musk’s America PAC, which awarded the checks to individuals who had signed a petition opposing “activist judges.” Two weeks before the election, the same PAC had offered $100 payments to voters who signed the petition or referred others to do so.

The two complaints referred to prosecutors were filed by voters in Milwaukee and Green Bay. Brown County, which includes Green Bay, is where District Attorney David Lasee will now evaluate whether to pursue criminal charges. Prosecutors have 40 days to report back to the Wisconsin Elections Commission on their findings. Emilee Miklas, the commission’s communications director, confirmed the referral but declined to comment further on the ongoing legal process.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul had previously sued to block Musk from distributing the checks, arguing the payments violated state election law. However, Wisconsin state courts rejected Kaul’s attempt to stop Musk from handing over checks to two voters, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court later declined to take up the issue. Musk’s attorneys countered in legal filings that the giveaways constituted protected political speech under the First Amendment.

Musk’s financial involvement in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race extended far beyond the individual checks. He and his affiliated groups spent at least $20 million supporting conservative candidate Brad Schimel. Despite that investment, Schimel lost to liberal-backed Susan Crawford by 10 percentage points in the April 1 election. Crawford’s victory preserved liberal control of the court, and with Democratic-backed candidate Chris Taylor’s earlier win, the liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court expanded to 5-2.

The 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election became the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history, with total spending exceeding $100 million. Following Schimel’s defeat, Musk announced a month later that he would reduce his spending on political campaigns going forward. Elon Musk is the founder of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla.

Legal proceedings related to Musk’s conduct extend beyond Wisconsin. A federal magistrate judge in Texas recently ruled that a breach of contract claim against Musk should not proceed, while a district court judge has yet to rule on a separate case filed in Arizona.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission’s referral marks a rare instance of election authorities taking formal action against a high-profile donor for allegedly using direct cash payments to influence voter turnout—a practice explicitly prohibited under state bribery statutes. The outcome could set a precedent for how election laws apply to large-scale incentive programs tied to voting, especially as outside spending in judicial and local elections continues to rise.

The 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race drew unprecedented national attention and funding due to its potential to shift the ideological balance of a court that has ruled on pivotal issues including redistricting, abortion, and election administration. Musk’s involvement, culminating in the $1 million giveaways, intensified scrutiny over the boundaries between political speech and illegal inducement under election law.