You could win $1 million from Elon Musk—under one condition

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Support our nonprofit journalism]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     October 21, 2024 While I was riding the Amtrak train from Boston to New York this morning, I encountered a pleasant surprise: My seatmate was reading a story I wrote for Mother Jones yesterday...about officials sounding the alarm over tech titan [Elon Musk's payments to pro-Trump voters](. It's always nice to meet readers in the wild. We talked about the absurdity of this election cycle, and of the Trump signs we saw dotting deep-blue Massachusetts. The substance of the article he was reading, though, was less pleasant than our interaction. Musk is saying he will give out a million dollars a day—every day until the election—to voters in swing states who sign a petition from his pro-Trump political action committee (and no, I will not link to it). He was also [pledging]( to pay $100 to registered Pennsylvania voters who sign his petition through today. Unsurprisingly, officials have concerns, and a couple of legal experts said it's in violation of federal election law. (The Department of Justice declined to comment.) You might chalk this up to Musk being his ridiculous self. But in fact, it's part of a much bigger effort on the right to do whatever they can to sway the election in Trump's favor. Musk, after all, has drawn billions of views by [sowing election-related anti-Democratic disinformation]( on X. A [new report]( also reveals that [the GOP has recruited]( 200,000 volunteer poll watchers, who it is training through dubious strategies grounded in paranoia about undocumented immigrants and dead people voting. But as Trump has shown time and time again, the GOP is more than willing to brush inconvenient facts aside to stay in power. Expect them to continue doing so up to the election—and, if Trump loses, to contest the results. —Julianne McShane P.S. Make sure to [listen to the episode of Reveal]( that dropped this weekend, focused on Black political power in this election—including Black Republicans who have come out in favor of Trump. Mother Jones video correspondent Garrison Hayes [dropped a video]( (which promptly went viral) on Black Republicans following the Republican National Convention back in August, and in this podcast, he digs even deeper into "the history, traditions, and dynamics of Black conservatives in America," as he puts it. With just over two weeks until Election Day, it's a must-listen. Advertisement [Americans United]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Officials Are Sounding the Alarm Over Musk’s Payments to Pro-Trump Voters]( One legal expert called it "clearly illegal." BY JULIANNE MCSHANE MOTHER JONES MEMBERSHIP UPDATE   DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY You’re a Mother Jones Daily reader, so you know the stakes and you know reporting like ours matters so freaking much in the month ahead (and beyond). About that: We need [the support of our newsletter readers like never before]( to vigorously fight back against the existential threats American democracy and journalism face. We urgently need all hands on deck. We can’t afford to come up short—we have no cushion; we leave it all on the field. Please help with a donation if you can—even just a few bucks helps. A [monthly gift]( would be incredible. [Donate Now]( [Trending] [The GOP is recruiting an "army" to monitor the vote]( BY JULIANNE MCSHANE   [Pro-Trump ad touting American workers uses photos of workers overseas]( BY DAVID CORN   [The most important Arizona election you've never heard of]( BY WYATT MYSKOW   [The tiny potato at the heart of one tribe’s climate change fight]( BY JOSEPH LEE Advertisement [Americans United]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [What’s missing from investigative reporting]( And a journalist who worked to bring it back. BY MONIKA BAUERLEIN Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755