Wisconsin Elections Commission Refers Musk Complaints to Brown County District Attorney

The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 5-1 on July 10 to refer two complaints against Elon Musk to the Brown County district attorney’s office. The commission found probable cause that Musk violated Wisconsin election bribery law by posting on social media an offer of $1 million to people who voted in the 2025 state Supreme Court election.

The complaints originated from voters in Milwaukee and Green Bay.

Musk handed out $1 million checks to three Wisconsin voters. Two of those checks were presented in person at a Green Bay rally on March 30, 2025. America PAC, the political action committee Musk supports, offered $100 to voters who signed a petition opposing activist judges two weeks before the April election.

Musk and groups he backed spent at least $20 million supporting Republican-backed candidate Brad Schimel. Schimel lost the election by 10 percentage points to Democratic-backed candidate Susan Crawford. Total spending in the race exceeded $100 million.

The commission, made up of three Democrats and three Republicans, acted in closed session. Brown County District Attorney David Lasee has 40 days from the referral to report back on whether charges will be filed. A lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign against Musk and America PAC over the cash giveaways remains pending in Brown County court.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul earlier sued to stop the distributions, but state courts rejected the request. Musk’s attorneys argued in court filings that the payments constituted protected free speech. America PAC used a similar $1 million daily giveaway approach in Wisconsin and six other states before the 2024 presidential election.