At a Pennsylvania town hall, Elon Musk criticizes mail-in voting, contradicting his own voting history and his super PAC’s absentee ballot campaign.
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| Elon Musk doubles down on in-person voting, raising concerns over mail-in ballots while his super PAC promotes absentee voting. Symbolic Image |
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA --- October 19, 2024:
Tech mogul Elon Musk stirred controversy at a town hall event in Pennsylvania by calling for all voting to be conducted "in person," despite his own history of voting by mail and the active promotion of absentee ballots by his super PAC. Speaking to a crowd in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on Friday, Musk emphasized the need for strict voting regulations, saying, "In my opinion, we should have paper ballots only. It should be in-person voting with ID. End of story." His remarks were met with cheers and applause.
This stance, however, contradicts both his personal voting record and the strategy of his pro-Trump super PAC, America PAC, which has been encouraging mail-in voting. According to California state records, Musk voted by mail in both the 2016 and 2018 general elections. Moreover, his super PAC, which he has funded with nearly $75 million, is actively promoting absentee and mail-in ballots this year. America PAC has distributed mailers and created a website to help Trump supporters request absentee ballots, describing mail-in voting as a secure method for the upcoming November 5 election.
Despite this seeming contradiction, Musk has consistently voiced opposition to mail-in voting, claiming it invites fraud, though there is no substantial evidence of widespread voter fraud in the U.S. electoral system. His concerns about voter fraud were amplified at the event when he responded to an audience member asking how to "stop the steal," referencing the baseless claim that the 2020 election was rigged. Musk urged anyone with evidence of irregularities to post it on his social media platform, X, so it could be either "debunked or supported."
Musk’s remarks on voting came a day after he repeated a debunked conspiracy theory involving Dominion Voting Systems, claiming without evidence that the company was involved in rigging elections—an allegation for which the company has sued others in the past.
In the broader town hall discussion, which touched on various subjects including business, tech, and even national birth rates, Musk continued to repeat other false or debunked conspiracy theories, including claims that Democrats are using immigrants to manipulate election results in swing states. Despite these controversial statements, Musk remains a central figure in Trump’s 2024 re-election efforts, with more campaign events scheduled in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.