Maye Musk, mother of Elon Musk, sparked controversy with a post on X on October 5, suggesting a form of voter fraud. “The Democrats have given us another option. You don’t have to register to vote,” she wrote. “On Election Day, have 10 fake names, go to 10 polling booths and vote 10 times. That’s 100 votes, and it’s not illegal. Maybe we should work the system too.”
In response to criticism, Elon Musk described her post as sarcastic and chose not to delete it. Her comments appeared to echo unfounded conspiracy theories about widespread voter fraud that Elon Musk has also promoted, despite investigations showing that voter fraud is rare. There is no evidence that Democrats are orchestrating the type of operation Maye Musk suggested.
Experts, including Stanford Law School’s Nate Persily, pointed out that following her advice would likely violate election laws. Title 52 of the U.S. Code makes it illegal to use false information to register to vote, with penalties including fines of up to $10,000 and imprisonment for up to five years.
Additionally, simply using a fake name wouldn’t suffice to register, as voter registration requires proof of identity, like a driver’s license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number. Election officials verify this information, and voters unable to provide it may need to show utility bills or other proof of residency depending on state laws.
Maye Musk’s post was flagged with a “Community Note” clarifying that registering under a false name and voting multiple times is illegal. The Federal Election Commission declined to comment on the situation or whether it was investigating her post.
While the law doesn’t appear to explicitly prohibit Maye Musk’s remarks, Persily noted that exaggerated statements about voting can circulate widely on social media. “The fact that someone makes an exaggerated statement like this does not seem to me like it’s a prosecutable offense,” he stated.
About three hours later, Maye Musk posted again, urging users to disregard her earlier comment. In replies to concerned users, she insisted they “don’t understand sarcasm” and claimed her statement was inspired by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who signed Senate Bill 1174, which prevents local governments from imposing voter ID requirements in local elections.
Elon Musk has also criticized this bill in several posts on X, suggesting it undermines efforts to prevent voter fraud and likening Newsom, a Democrat, to “The Joker.”
