Elon Musk ordered to give deposition in alleged ‘vote buying’ election scheme

A federal judge on Thursday ordered Tesla CEO Elon Musk to testify under oath in two cases where he is accused of defrauding voters in swing states before the 2024 general election.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Hightower of the Western District of Texas ordered Musk to sit for a deposition as part of a fraud lawsuit brought by two Arizona women. They accuse Musk’s political action committee, America PAC, of tricking voters into giving personal information as part of giving away $1 million every day leading up to Election Day.

Musk made the pledge during a town hall in Pennsylvania in October 2024, saying he would give the money if they signed America PAC’s petition.

“The only thing we ask for the million dollars is that you be a spokesperson for the petition,” Musk told a recipient he handpicked from the audience at the time.

Hightower said it was an open question whether Musk acted recklessly when saying he would “randomly” pay someone, Reuters reported. She quoted America PAC director Christopher ⁠Young, who said as he testified in a February 2026 deposition that he was “surprised” by what Musk said.

Plaintiffs Joy Harvick and Jacqueline McAferty accused Musk and America PAC of misleading voters across seven swing states by having them sign his petition, the outlet reported. They said the 19 winners were chosen because, quoting a Musk lawyer, they could be good spokespeople for America PAC.

Musk made similar pledges in other states, including Michigan. In October 2025, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (D) sued Musk and America PAC over the giveaways, calling them “illegal lotteries.” Musk sought to move the lawsuit to federal court.

Rick Hasen, a University of California Los Angeles Law School political science professor, said the law prohibits paying people for registering to vote or for voting.

“If all he was doing was paying people to sign the petition, that might be a waste of money. But there’s nothing illegal about it,” Hasen told the Associated Press in October 2024. “The problem is that the only people eligible to participate in this giveaway are the people who are registered to vote. And that makes it illegal.”

Elon Musk ordered to give deposition in alleged ‘vote buying’ election scheme

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