Authorities in Michigan and North Carolina are investigating a political action committee backed by Elon Musk over the group’s data collection methods, multiple outlets reported Monday.
America PAC, which Musk helped found earlier this year, may be violating the states’ laws by collecting address information from users while claiming it is registering them to vote. Both the Michigan secretary of state’s office and the North Carolina State Board of Elections are investigating possible violations, Reuters and CNBC reported.
Musk previously pledged $45 million per month to America PAC in support of former President Trump, but later backed off that promise. Musk has endorsed Trump for the November election.
On the “register to vote” page of America PAC’s site, users in Michigan and North Carolina would be directed to submit their personal information, including their address and phone number. They would then not be directed to their state’s methods of registering to vote, while voters in noncompetitive states would not have to submit information.
“North Carolina law makes it a crime for someone to fail to submit a voter’s registration form if that person has told a voter that they would be submitting the voter’s registration form,” North Carolina board spokesperson Patrick Gannon told CNBC.
The “register to vote” page on the site was removed Sunday, according to archived copies of the site, and is no longer available.
“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,” the Michigan secretary of state’s office said in a statement to Reuters.
The Hill has reached out to America PAC, the Michigan secretary of state’s office and the North Carolina State Board of Elections for comment.
