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The Elon Musk-backed America PAC says it’s focused on “get out the vote” initiatives. But an ad campaign from the super PAC appears to be focused more on collecting voter data from residents of political battleground states, rather than signing them up to vote ahead of November’s presidential election.
As first reported Friday by CNBC, America PAC has developed ads that show a young man laying in bed at night when someone sends him a text message, “Hey you need to vote,” alongside a video of the July 13 attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump, complete with audio of gunshots and screams. After the man asks how to register, the ad shows America PAC’s website.
The website promotes the value of voting and says it will help visitors register to vote in their state. However, the actual experience differs depending on where the visitor lives.
After a resident from New York, California, Wyoming, or North Dakota — historic blue and red states — inputs their email and zip code, they’ll either be linked to their state’s voter registration page or directed to repeat the process again. It’s unclear if this is due to website error or an intentional design.
But, if they live in a state expected to be competitive in the election, visitors can anticipate a lengthier process. After putting in a Pennsylvanian zip code, the site asks visitors for their full name, cell phone, home address, and date of birth. Then, rather than be directed to a voter registration page, they will be told “thank you” and provided no further help.
Instead, that data is collected by America PAC, a group backed by major tech investors and entrepreneurs like Ken Howery, a former ambassador to Sweden and co-founder of PayPal, and the billionaire Winklevoss twins. The group is led by Jon Lonsdale, a Palantir co-founder and political confidant to Musk, who has been instrumental in fundraising for the group, The New York Times reported.
“This borders on interfering with someone’s vote in a federal election which is a violation of federal law,” Michael McDonald, a University of Florida professor and head of the United States Election Project, wrote on X, which Musk owns, in response to CNBC’s report. “It could also be a violation of state law.”
CNBC reports that the PAC has spent more than $800,000 on digital ads in key battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Michigan. The ads, which encouraged people to register through America PAC’s website, appeared across Facebook, Instagram, and Google through YouTube.
It’s spent upwards of $21 million on digital media, canvassing, and other services since July, according to federal filings. Much of its prior spending had been to oppose the candidacy of President Joe Biden — who has dropped out of the race — and support Trump.
Although PACs and super PACs aren’t generally allowed to directly coordinate with candidates and their campaigns, a recent decision from regulators allows them to work together on door-to-door canvassing. As a result, the pro-Trump group is allowed to have some coordination with his campaign.
“I suspect that the PAC’s ability to coordinate its data-driven canvassing activities with the Trump campaign made it very appealing for donors,” Brendan Fischer, a deputy executive director at campaign finance watchdog Documented, told CNBC.