PAC backed by Elon Musk is being looked into in Michigan and North Carolina for possible violations
Several news outlets reported Monday that authorities in Michigan and North Carolina are looking into how a political action committee backed by Elon Musk collected data.
People may be breaking the law when America PAC, which Musk helped start earlier this year, asks people for their address while saying it is registering them to vote. CNN and Reuters both said that the North Carolina State Board of Elections and the Michigan Secretary of State’s office are looking into possible breaches.
Musk had promised America PAC $45 million a month to back former President Trump, but he later broke that promise. Musk has backed Trump in the election in November.
People in Michigan and North Carolina would be asked to give their personal information, such as their address and phone number, on the “register to vote” part of America PAC’s website. Then, they wouldn’t be sent to their state’s ways to register to vote, and people in states that don’t have competition would not have to send in any information.
According to North Carolina law, it is illegal for someone to not turn in a voter registration form after telling a voter that they would, according to Patrick Gannon, a spokesman for the North Carolina board.
Archive copies of the site show that the “register to vote” page was taken down on Sunday and is no longer there.
The Michigan secretary of state’s office told Reuters that “every citizen should know exactly how their personal information is being used by PACs,” especially if a group says it will help people register to vote in Michigan or any other state.
The Hill has asked America PAC, the office of the Michigan secretary of state, and the North Carolina State Board of Elections for their thoughts.