Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is investigating a super political action committee created by billionaire Elon Musk that’s been accused of “misleading voters” because of how it collects personal data of swing state residents online.
“Every citizen should know exactly how their personal information is being used by PACs, especially if an entity is claiming it will help people register to vote in Michigan or any other state,” a spokesperson for the Democratic official told CNBC on Sunday.
“While the America PAC is a federal political action committee, the department is reviewing their activities to determine if there have been any violations of state law,” the spokesperson added. “We will refer potential violations to the Michigan attorney general’s office as appropriate.”
Sharing the CNBC article on X — a social media platform formerly called Twitter, which Musk bought in 2022 — Benson said that she and Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel “take intentional efforts to mislead voters very seriously in our state.”
Benson also thanked Michigan Senate Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow (D-8) “for bringing the website to our attention a few days ago.”
CNBC political finance reporter Brian Schwartz on Friday had reported on the digital advertising and data collection activities of America PAC, which is working to elect former Republican President Donald Trump. The journalist detailed how people who enter ZIP codes for competitive areas are not sent to local voter registration pages, “they instead are directed to a highly detailed personal information form, prompted to enter their address, cell phone number, and age.”
Schwartz’s reporting sparked accusations that the super PAC’s scheme “seems like election fraud” and calls for the U.S. Department of Justice to launch an investigation. As with the initial reporting, Schwartz noted Sunday that a spokesperson for the group declined to comment and Musk did not return emails seeking comment.
After the reporter revealed Michigan’s probe on Sunday, he pointed out on X that America PAC “took down their homepage links to register to vote and request a ballot.”
NEW: The day Benson's office told me they're launching a probe into the Musk backed PAC and I reached out to the PAC, is the same day the committee took down their homepage links to register to vote & request a ballot.
— Brian Schwartz (@schwartzbCNBC) August 4, 2024
1st pic: Sunday AM
2nd pic: Nowhttps://t.co/6JmnYLQOrb https://t.co/KfT54R62HZ pic.twitter.com/HRst4AnKh4
Ben Gardner, All Voting Is Local’s Michigan senior campaign manager, welcomed his state’s investigation into the super PAC.
“Good,” Gardner said Sunday. “Michiganders should feel confident knowing that Michigan’s secretary of state will stand up to those who attempt to mislead voters.”
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