毎日１人に１．５億円 トランプ氏支援のマスク氏提案 法的に問題は？

【ワシントンＡＦＰ＝時事】米大統領選の共和党候補、ドナルド・トランプ前大統領への支援を打ち出している実業家イーロン・マスクが、激戦州で有権者登録を済ませ、自身が呼び掛ける署名活動に参加した人に対し、１１月５日の投票日まで毎日１人に抽選で１００万ドル（約１億５０００万円）を贈与すると表明。違法か否かをめぐり、物議を醸している。（写真はドナルド・トランプ前米大統領の選挙集会で演説する実業家のイーロン・マスク氏〈右〉。ペンシルベニア州バトラーで）
　マスク氏は１９日、激戦州のペンシルベニアでこの提案を発表した。
　自身が率いるＸ（旧ツイッター）で、参加者は「言論の自由と武器を所持する権利を支持する」という文書に署名する必要があると説明。激戦州で有権者登録を行うことを参加条件としている。
　選挙法を専門とするジョージタウン大学ロースクールのダニエル・ラング教授はＡＦＰに対し、この抽選は「司法省によって民事または刑事裁判の対象となる可能性がある」と指摘。
　「有権者登録を行うことを条件に金銭を支払うのは違法だ」と主張した。
　カリフォルニア大学ロサンゼルス校（ＵＣＬＡ）ロースクールで政治学を教えるリック・ヘイセン教授も、選挙法に関するブログで同様の見解を表明。
　「有権者登録の対価として金銭を支払うか、支払いを申し出る、または支払いを受け取る」ことを禁じる法律を根拠に挙げ、罰金１万ドル（約１５０万円）または５年以下の禁錮刑を科せられる可能性があると指摘している。
　だが、別の見解を示す人もいる。
　連邦選挙委員会（ＦＥＣ）の元委員長、ブラッド・スミス氏はニューヨーク・タイムズ紙に対し、マスク氏の行動は「グレーゾーンだ」とし、有償で直接登録を促しているわけではなく、署名の呼び掛けにとどまっていると指摘している。
　マスク氏本人は、単純に投票に行こうという呼び掛けにすぎないと主張している。
　マスク氏は、この数週間、全力を挙げてトランプ氏を支援。同氏を支持する政治団体に７５００万ドル（約１１３億円）を献金し、選挙集会にも出席している。
　署名に応じれば抽選で１００万ドルを贈与する考えを発表した選挙集会では、「とにかく外に出て、友人や家族、知り合い、道で出会う人々に声を掛け、投票するよう説得してほしい」と呼び掛けた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/10/22-18:40）

Donald Trump surrogate Elon Musk's offer of a million dollars to one registered voter in a swing state every day until the US Election Day on November 5 has raised questions about the legality of such a move.
While Democratic candidate Kamala Harris's campaign has not commented on the contest, Josh Shapiro, the Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania, said on NBC's Meet the Press: I think it's something that law enforcement should take a look at.
Musk, the world's richest man, announced the contest Saturday in Pennsylvania, one of the seven swing states that will likely determine who will become the next US president -- Harris, or Republican Trump.
The contest requires entrants sign a petition to support free speech & the right to bear arms, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk said on X, the social media platform he owns.
The endeavor enters hot water with the requirement that people are registered to vote in swing states in order to participate.
Danielle Lang, a professor at Georgetown Law School who specializes in election law, told AFP the contest could be subject to civil or criminal enforcement by the Department of Justice.
It is illegal to give out money on the condition that recipients register as voters, she said.
As the terms of this 'contest' to win $1 million require the recipient to be a registered voter in one of seven swing states (or to register if they have not already), the offer violates federal law, she continued.
- Gray area -
Rick Hasen, a political science professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law, expressed a similar sentiment on his Election Law Blog.
He cited the specific law that prohibits anyone who pays or offers to pay or accepts payment... for registration to vote, adding that the penalty involves a fine of $10,000 or up to five years imprisonment.
Not everyone is of the same mindset, however.
Brad Smith, the former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, told the New York Times what Musk is doing is something of a gray area.
Since Musk is not paying people to register directly, but rather for signing a petition, I think he comes out OK here, Smith said.
For his part, Musk defends his move by saying it is a simple get out and vote effort.
We want to make sure that everyone in swing states hears about this and I suspect this will ensure they do, he wrote on X.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk has pulled out all the stops in recent weeks to support former president Trump, including donating $75 million to a pro-Trump political action committee and appearing at campaign rallies.
Just go out there and talk to your friends and family and acquaintances and people you meet in the street and... convince them to vote, he told the crowd at the rally where he announced the petition contest.
Lang said that schemes such as these occur each election cycle.
We tend to see some businesses that engage in some questionable activity along these lines (such as offering a free item for showing an 'I Voted' sticker) but this is notable for its far larger size, she said.