Elon Musk’s mother ‘encourages’ voter fraud ahead of US polls; post fact-checked on X

Maye Musk, the mother of billionaire businessman Elon Musk, waded into controversy this month with a post on X that appeared to 'encourage' voter fraud. The post criticised Democrats, claiming they ensured people could "go to 10 polling booths and vote 10 times" using fake names. The assertion came even as her son was spotted jumping at a Donald Trump rally this week. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO is also planning to campaign for the former POTUS in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

“The Democrats have given us another option. You don't have to register to vote. 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,” she wrote on the social media platform earlier this month.

The post was later deleted amid widespread backlash from social media users.

Some pointed out that the post could be taken as “the solicitation of a crime” while others reiterated that her suggestion was tantamount to voter fraud.

“This tweet constitutes the solicitation of a crime and is in itself a fully completed criminal act. If at least one person acts on your solicitation, you could also be charged with conspiracy. You should retract this tweet immediately,” said one X user.

“Is this supposed to be a joke?” wondered another.

“This is illegal and I can't wait for people to sue you for when they get jailed for this,” added a third.

Musk however doubled down on her claims and insisted that the critics on X ‘didn’t understand sarcasm’.

“Actually, this comes from Gavin Newsom. What you are saying is that he should be jailed for his new law that prevents ID when voting, so illegal immigrants can vote many times. I guess you don’t understand sarcasm,” she told one user.

(With inputs from agencies)