If this isn’t illegal, it should be. Elon Musk tricks people with ‘America PAC’ campaigns

03.08.2024 12:22

America PAC, the Elon Musk vehicle created to help elect Donald Trump, is tricking potential new voters in swing states by pretending to help them register to vote. It’s also tricking anyone asking for an absentee ballot.

Instead, the website asks for extensive personal information for swing state visitors who want to register to vote. But that info isn’t needed and can, instead, be used to target ads towards those potential voters.

If the visitor seeking registration help inputs a zip code that’s not a swing state, she is directed to her state’s official voter registration website, CNBC reported on Friday.

However, for those swing state visitors being subjected to bait-and-switch tactics:

If they agree to submit all that, the system still does not steer them to a voter registration page. Instead, it shows them a “thank you” page.

So that person who wanted help registering to vote? In the end, they got no help at all registering. But they did hand over priceless personal data to a political operation.

It’s almost the same song-and-dance for anyone using the site to request an absentee ballot, except everyone is presented with a personal data form show below.

How do people FIND this “helpful” source? Google ads, of course.

Wouldn’t it be nice if Google made official voter registration sites the top hits instead of crap like this?

1. The America PAC home page implies it will help all visitors register to vote.

2. The America PAC site filters visitors by their zip code, like this one in Georgia.

3. If the visitor uses a zip code from a swing state, she is asked for personally identifying information, including date of birth. NEVER give out this information!

4. For non-swing state visitors, the site offers a link to an official voter registration website.

Legality questioned

The CNBC story does not feature a lawyer or discuss the legality of these actions. They should be running afoul of Federal Election Commission (FEC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rules. It’s possible that state laws are being breached as well.

If nothing about this is illegal, the laws must change.

Twitter was quick to look back only to 2021, when the FEC charged John Burkman and Jacob Wohl with making unlawful robocalls in swing states:

Election interference. Check Jacob Wohl.

— Badd Company (@BaddCompani) August 2, 2024

?? Whoa! The FCC just announced a massive $5 million fine for illegal robocalling against conspiracy theorists John Burkman and Jacob Wohl pic.twitter.com/6ZPgpV0tLu

— Cristiano Lima-Strong (@viaCristiano) August 24, 2021

Oh cool. So this is Musk’s big “election integrity” push — fake voting registration forms. What’s next Elon, text messages to urban areas that tell voters the wrong Election Day, or that their vote isn’t needed? @FEC anybody home? https://t.co/m8hs2hz2ic

— Dave Troy (@davetroy) August 2, 2024

Warn everyone.

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The stakes in November have never been more urgent, nor the choices more extreme.

Remember: you are not voting for one person. You are voting for a team.

I’m voting for Team America not Team Russia-Hungary-North Korea.

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