The Wisconsin Elections Commission has identified potential legal violations involving Elon Musk. Allegations suggest Musk may have breached Wisconsin’s election bribery law. Musk reportedly promised $1 million checks to voters during the Wisconsin Supreme Court election. His political action committee invested heavily in this campaign.

The commission consists of three Republicans and three Democrats. They voted 5-1 to send two complaints from voters regarding Musk to the Brown County District Attorney’s office. Emilee Miklas, the commission’s Communications Director, confirmed this to CBS News.

Commissioners found “probable cause” suggesting Musk violated a state law. This law prohibits offering “anything of value” to influence voting behavior.

Brown County District Attorney David Lasee has not indicated whether he will press charges. Efforts to reach Lasee and Musk for comment have been made by CBS News.

Musk’s cash giveaways to select voters signing his political petitions are at the center of this controversy. These practices began during his support for President Trump’s 2024 campaign and persisted through Wisconsin’s April 2025 judicial election.

In Wisconsin, Musk’s America PAC provided $1 million checks to three voters signing petitions against “activist judges” last year. Musk’s funds supported GOP-backed Judge Brad Schimel for a state Supreme Court seat. However, Schimel lost to Democrat-endorsed Judge Susan Crawford.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul previously sued Musk aiming to stop these payments. Kaul argued Musk violated state law by offering financial incentives to vote. Musk’s lawyers countered that these actions fell under free speech protections.

The state’s Supreme Court refrained from addressing the issue. During a rally days before the election, Musk distributed large novelty checks to two voters named spokespeople for his political action committee.

An advocacy group has also filed a lawsuit against Musk and America PAC. They claim the cash giveaways violated election bribery laws and formed an illegal lottery. Musk’s legal defense has requested dismissal of the case, which remains unresolved.

Further scrutiny surrounds Musk’s giveaways in various swing states during the 2024 presidential race. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner filed a lawsuit against Musk concerning $1 million checks offered to Pennsylvania voters. Krasner argued these payouts broke state election and lottery laws. Musk’s lawyers defended this strategy as “core political speech.” The court allowed these payments to continue.