Coverage dated July 13, 2026 to July 15, 2026

Elon Musk's $1M Wisconsin voter giveaway likely was illegal, panel finds

Headline from WGN Chicago

A bipartisan elections panel found that billionaire Elon Musk likely violated Wisconsin’s election bribery law when he handed out $1 million checks to voters during the state’s Supreme Court election last year.

WGN Chicago's own description from its feed. We collect headlines and these descriptions, not full articles; read the original reporting below.

Reports & sources

47 articles, oldest first.

  1. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

    Elon Musk likely broke the law by giving Wisconsin voters $1 million in election (opens NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth)

    Published

    NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth's feed description

    FILE – In this March 14, 2019, file photo, Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks before unveiling the Model Y at the company’s design studio in Hawthorne, Calif.

  2. Forbes

    Wisconsin Officials Find Probable Cause Elon Musk Violated Election Bribery Laws (opens Forbes)

    Published

    Forbes's feed description

    Musk handed out $1 million checks to three Wisconsin voters for voting in the state Supreme Court elections in 2025.

  3. The Republic

    Elon Musk likely broke the law by giving voters $1 million, Wisconsin board says (opens The Republic)

    Published

    The Republic's feed description

    MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Billionaire Elon Musk likely broke Wisconsin law when he handed out $1 million checks to voters in the 2025 state Supreme Court election, a bipartisan panel has found. The Wisconsin Elections Commission last week referred two complaints to the Brown County district attorney’s of…

  4. Wisconsin Examiner

    Elon Musk likely broke law with $1 million voter checks, Elections Commission says (opens Wisconsin Examiner)

    Published

    Wisconsin Examiner's feed description

    Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, likely broke the law when he gave $1 million checks to voters ahead of the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, the state’s elections commission decided last week. In a closed session during its meeting last week, the commission voted 5-1 to refer two complaints…

  5. WGN Chicago

    Elon Musk's $1M Wisconsin voter giveaway likely was illegal, panel finds (opens WGN Chicago)

    Published

    WGN Chicago's feed description

    A bipartisan elections panel found that billionaire Elon Musk likely violated Wisconsin’s election bribery law when he handed out $1 million checks to voters during the state’s Supreme Court election last year.

  6. Jonesboro Sun

    Elon Musk likely broke the law by promising voters $1 million payouts, Wisconsin board says (opens Jonesboro Sun)

    Published

    Jonesboro Sun's feed description

    The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission has found probable cause that billionaire Elon Musk broke state law when he promised to hand out $1 million checks to voters in the 2025 state Supreme Court election. The commission last week referred two…

  7. UPI

    Wisconsin Elections Commission sends Elon Musk bribery complaints to prosecutors (opens UPI)

    Published

    UPI's feed description

    The Wisconsin Elections Commission has sent two complaints to prosecutors accusing businessman Elon Musk of violating anti-bribery.

  8. HuffPost

    Elon Musk Possibly Violated Law With Voter Payout Claims (opens HuffPost)

    Published

    HuffPost's feed description

    The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission has found probable cause that the Tesla mogul broke state law when he promised to hand out $1 million checks to voters in the 2025 state Supreme Court election.

  9. CBS News

    State board: Musk may have broken election law by offering $1M checks to voters (opens CBS News)

    Published

    CBS News's feed description

    The Wisconsin Elections Commission found billionaire Elon Musk may have violated the state's election bribery law by offering $1 million checks to voters during an election last year.

  10. Just the News

    Musk likely broke the law when he promised voters payouts, Wisconsin board concludes (opens Just the News)

    Published

    Just the News's feed description

    Prosecutors have the option of bringing criminal charges for violating state laws that prohibit people from bribing voters.

  11. Gizmodo

    Elon Musk Could Still Face Criminal Charges for Trying to Bribe Voters in Wisconsin (opens Gizmodo)

    Published

    Gizmodo's feed description

    Will the richest person in the world get a slap on the wrist?

  12. FOX 6 Milwaukee

    Elon Musk's Wisconsin voter payments likely broke election bribery law (opens FOX 6 Milwaukee)

    Published

    FOX 6 Milwaukee's feed description

    The world's richest man likely broke the state's election bribery law. That is what the Wisconsin Elections Commission found in a 5-1 vote during a closed session last week.

  13. Jezebel

    Wisconsin Elections Commission Refers Elon Musk for Criminal Prosecution over His $1 Million Check “Giveaways” (opens Jezebel)

    Published

    Jezebel's feed description

    The bipartisan election panel concluded that Elon Musk almost certainly broke the law and referred complaints to the DA's office.

  14. WSPA Greenville-Spartanburg

    Elon Musk's $1M voter giveaway likely was illegal, panel finds (opens WSPA Greenville-Spartanburg)

    Published

    WSPA Greenville-Spartanburg's feed description

    A bipartisan elections panel found that billionaire Elon Musk likely violated Wisconsin’s election bribery law when he handed out $1 million checks to voters during the state’s Supreme Court election last year.

  15. KXAN Austin

    Elon Musk's $1M voter giveaway likely was illegal, Wisconsin panel finds (opens KXAN Austin)

    Published

    KXAN Austin's feed description

    A bipartisan elections panel found that billionaire Elon Musk likely violated Wisconsin’s election bribery law when he handed out $1 million checks to voters during the state’s Supreme Court election last year.

  16. Newsweek

    Elon Musk May Have Broken Election Laws: 5 Possible Outcomes (opens Newsweek)

    Published

    Newsweek's feed description

    World’s richest man faces potential election law breach after $1M voter payments as prosecutors weigh outcomes in Wisconsin case.

  17. The New Republic

    Elon Musk Could Soon Be in Big Trouble Over His Phony Election Lottery (opens The New Republic)

    Published

    The New Republic's feed description

    Elon Musk may have broken the law when he got involved in the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election. The Wisconsin Elections Commission referred two complaints to the Brown County district attorney’s office last week, saying that Musk’s promise to hand out $1 million checks to voters could have been…

  18. Truthout

    Wisconsin Commission Finds Musk Likely Broke Law in Handing Out Checks to Voters (opens Truthout)

    Published

    Truthout's feed description

    Musk gave three voters million-dollar checks, encouraging them to vote in the 2025 state Supreme Court election.

  19. The Guardian

    Wisconsin panel finds Elon Musk’s $1m state supreme court voter giveaway was likely illegal (opens The Guardian)

    Published

    The Guardian's feed description

    Musk distributed money to three people before the 2025 election, which he claimed was critical to Trump’s agenda Billionaire Elon Musk likely violated Wisconsin law when he gave out $1m checks to voters in the 2025 state supreme court election, a bipartisan elections panel has found.

  20. Inc.

    Elon Musk Faces a Felony Threat in Wisconsin Over His $1 Million Voter Giveaway. It Comes With the Potential of Jail Time (opens Inc.)

    Published

    Inc.'s feed description

    A Wisconsin referral marks the second time Musk’s viral description of an America PAC promotion has landed him in legal trouble.

Identical headlines usually mean shared wire copy. They are counted as separate articles but are not independent confirmation.

Separate coverage close to this update in time and subject.

Elon Musk's $1M Wisconsin voter giveaway likely was illegal, panel finds | Since Then