Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC is under investigation in Michigan for potentially illegally collecting voter data.
CNBC reported:
After clicking on the “register to vote” tab on America PAC’s website, users in states like Michigan can submit a ZIP code, address and phone number. People with a Michigan address are brought to a page that says “thank you” and asks users to “complete the form below” to help wrap up the voter registration process. As of Sunday afternoon, though, there was no other form to complete below the words “thank you.”
“Every citizen should know exactly how their personal information is being used by PACs, especially if an entity is claiming it will help people register to vote in Michigan or any other state,” a spokeswoman for the Michigan secretary of state’s office said in a statement to CNBC.
“While the America PAC is a federal political action committee, the Department is reviewing their activities to determine if there have been any violations of state law. We will refer potential violations to the Michigan Attorney General’s office as appropriate,” the spokeswoman added.
People in swing states had their voter data harvested by Musk’s PAC with no instructions on helping to register to vote. Voters who did not live in a swing state put in their zip code and were directed to voter registration information.
The harvesting of data in the way that it was done by the Musk funded operation could be in violation of several laws in numerous states. he PAC gathered voter data under the false pretenses of voter registration.
Donald Trump was able to win the presidency in 2016 in part due to a massive voter data harvesting operation that utilized Facebook.
Swing states around the country should investigate Musk and his PAC. The fact that they thought they could get away with deceiving voters speaks to the operation’s hubris.
Elon Musk’s PAC clearly is not interested in registering voters. It is engaged in violating the privacy of voters for partisan political gain and needs to be shut down.
CNBC reported:
After clicking on the “register to vote” tab on America PAC’s website, users in states like Michigan can submit a ZIP code, address and phone number. People with a Michigan address are brought to a page that says “thank you” and asks users to “complete the form below” to help wrap up the voter registration process. As of Sunday afternoon, though, there was no other form to complete below the words “thank you.”
“Every citizen should know exactly how their personal information is being used by PACs, especially if an entity is claiming it will help people register to vote in Michigan or any other state,” a spokeswoman for the Michigan secretary of state’s office said in a statement to CNBC.
“While the America PAC is a federal political action committee, the Department is reviewing their activities to determine if there have been any violations of state law. We will refer potential violations to the Michigan Attorney General’s office as appropriate,” the spokeswoman added.
People in swing states had their voter data harvested by Musk’s PAC with no instructions on helping to register to vote. Voters who did not live in a swing state put in their zip code and were directed to voter registration information.
The harvesting of data in the way that it was done by the Musk funded operation could be in violation of several laws in numerous states. he PAC gathered voter data under the false pretenses of voter registration.
Donald Trump was able to win the presidency in 2016 in part due to a massive voter data harvesting operation that utilized Facebook.
Swing states around the country should investigate Musk and his PAC. The fact that they thought they could get away with deceiving voters speaks to the operation’s hubris.
Elon Musk’s PAC clearly is not interested in registering voters. It is engaged in violating the privacy of voters for partisan political gain and needs to be shut down.