Politics
NewsOnScale Staff
October 12, 2026
Voters north of Denver started receiving text messages last week from Elon Musk's America PAC. The message read: "Your ballot request is in. Confirm now where and when to return it."
There was one problem. In Colorado, every active registered voter automatically receives a mail ballot. Nobody submitted a ballot request. The texts were inaccurate — and they triggered a wave of panicked calls to county election offices from voters who feared someone had submitted requests on their behalf without their knowledge.
"People were like, 'Wait a second. I didn't submit that request. Is something fishy going on? Did someone submit something on my behalf?'" said Carly Koppes, a Republican who serves as election chief in Weld County.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold called the America PAC messaging "misleading" and urged voters to rely on her office and county clerks for accurate election information. Washington state's Secretary of State issued a similar warning, urging voters to steer clear of VoteSafe.org — the America PAC website that its own disclaimer warns contains information "sourced from third parties and may not necessarily be accurate."
America PAC did not respond to CNN's questions about the Colorado texts. On X, the PAC accused Washington state officials of trying to "suppress" voter registration by criticizing its activity.
What America PAC is actually doing
The texts are part of a $40 million midterm operation that Musk has funded to help Republicans retain control of Congress. America PAC runs digital ads on Facebook targeting Republicans with provocative anti-Democrat messaging, directing users to VoteSafe.org where they are asked to provide their cell phone numbers and email addresses.
"By providing your telephone number and email, you consent to receive emails, calls and text messages from America PAC," a disclosure on the site reads.
The site also warns that the voting information on it "may not necessarily be accurate."
Musk spent nearly $300 million to elect Trump in 2024, making him the largest publicly disclosed donor in that election cycle. He has disclosed donating approximately $90 million to Republican-aligned PACs so far in the 2026 cycle, with the lion's share going to Senate races.
The context
Elon Musk owns X Corp, a defendant in a federal civil lawsuit filed by JJ Johnson, a declared 2028 presidential candidate, alleging election interference and Civil RICO violations. Case No. 1:26-cv-00197-RH-HTC is pending in the Northern District of Florida.
A South African-born billionaire sending inaccurate voting information to American voters in a contested congressional district three weeks before a midterm election is the kind of conduct that federal election law was designed to address.
The DOJ previously sent a warning letter to America PAC over its $1 million cash giveaways to registered voters in 2024, warning those payments may violate federal law. No charges were filed.
The midterms are November 4.
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