The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a warning to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has pledged a large cash prize to encourage voter registration in support of former President Donald Trump, CNN reported on the 23rd.

The DOJ flagged Musk's plan, which was orchestrated through his Super PAC, America PAC, as potentially violating federal law. Musk's initiative involves offering a $1 million prize to randomly selected residents who register as voters in swing states and sign a petition supporting the First (free speech) and Second (right to bear arms) Amendments.

However, the issue arises from the fact that eligibility for the prize is limited to those registered as voters in seven key swing states: Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Federal law prohibits offering financial rewards or other incentives in exchange for voter registration.

Musk promoted the initiative on the 19th of this month in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, stating, "We aim to have over one million, maybe even two million swing-state voters sign the petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. From now until the election, we will give $1 million every day to a randomly selected petitioner." This announcement sparked backlash, including "serious concerns" expressed by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, and raised questions about its legality among political and academic circles.

In response to the controversy, Musk clarified that the winner of the prize does not need to belong to any specific political party and is not required to vote. However, he did not address concerns over limiting the draw to registered voters.

According to America PAC’s website, as of the 22nd, four people—three from Pennsylvania and one from North Carolina—had already won the $1 million prize, starting with the first drawing on the 19th.