---
title: "Wisconsin elections board finds Musk likely broke a bribery law, refers case to prosecutors"
description: "The Wisconsin Elections Commission has found probable cause that Elon Musk violated the state's election-bribery law by offering $1 million to voters during the 2025 state Supreme Court race, and referred the matter to a county prosecutor. A finding of probable cause is not a criminal charge."
category: "U.S."
category_url: https://herald.la/category/us
author: "Desmond Clarke"
published: 2026-07-14T23:00:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-14T23:00:00.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/wisconsin-elections-board-finds-musk-likely-broke-a-bribery-law-refers-case-to-p
tags: ["elon musk", "wisconsin", "elections", "campaign finance", "courts"]
---
# Wisconsin elections board finds Musk likely broke a bribery law, refers case to prosecutors

The Wisconsin Elections Commission has found probable cause that Elon Musk violated the state's election-bribery law by offering $1 million to voters during the 2025 state Supreme Court race, and referred the matter to a county prosecutor. A finding of probable cause is not a criminal charge.

Wisconsin's bipartisan elections board has concluded there is probable cause that Elon Musk broke the state's election-bribery law during last year's high-stakes contest for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and it has handed the matter to a local prosecutor to decide whether to bring charges.

## What the commission decided

The Wisconsin Elections Commission [voted 5-1 in a closed session on July 9](https://www.wbay.com/2026/07/14/wisconsin-election-commissioners-refer-complaints-say-elon-musk-violated-states-bribery-law-2/) to find probable cause that Musk violated state law by, in the commission's words, offering $1 million to people who voted in the 2025 election "in order to induce them to vote." The board [referred two complaints, filed by a Milwaukee man and a Green Bay woman, to the Brown County district attorney, David Lasee](https://www.wbay.com/2026/07/14/wisconsin-election-commissioners-refer-complaints-say-elon-musk-violated-states-bribery-law-2/). Prosecutors have 40 days to report back on whether they intend to pursue the case.

It is important to be precise about what this is and is not. A finding of probable cause means the commission believes there is enough evidence to warrant referral; it is not a criminal charge, and it is not a conviction. Whether any charge follows is now up to the district attorney.

## The background

During the April 2025 race, [Musk's political group, America PAC, handed out two $1 million checks to voters](https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/14/politics/elon-musk-wisconsin-supreme-court-1-million-checks) at a rally in Green Bay for Brad Schimel, the conservative candidate. The group had also offered $100 payments to people who signed a petition against "activist judges." Musk poured [more than $20 million into the contest](https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/14/politics/elon-musk-wisconsin-supreme-court-1-million-checks), which drew national attention as a test of his political spending. Schimel lost to the liberal-backed candidate, Susan Crawford, by about 10 percentage points.

## The law at issue

Wisconsin statute bars offering anything of value to induce a person to vote or not vote. The commission's referral signals that a majority of its members concluded the $1 million offer could fall within that prohibition. Musk's legal team has previously argued that the payments were meant to build a grassroots movement against "activist judges" rather than to buy votes, and that restricting them would run afoul of free-speech protections.

## What comes next

Musk had not publicly responded to the referral, and a spokesperson for America PAC did not immediately comment, according to news accounts of the decision. Separately, a state watchdog group, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, has a pending lawsuit making related allegations. The Brown County prosecutor's decision, expected within weeks, will determine whether the elections commission's finding becomes an actual criminal case, or ends there.

## Sources

- [Elon Musk likely broke the law by giving voters $1 million, Wisconsin board says](https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/14/politics/elon-musk-wisconsin-supreme-court-1-million-checks)
- [Wisconsin election commissioners refer complaints, say Musk violated state's bribery law](https://www.wbay.com/2026/07/14/wisconsin-election-commissioners-refer-complaints-say-elon-musk-violated-states-bribery-law-2/)
- [Wisconsin officials find probable cause Musk violated election bribery laws](https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2026/07/14/wisconsin-officials-find-probable-cause-elon-musk-violated-election-bribery-laws/)