A social media storm erupts as a prominent figure's parent shares questionable electoral advice.
The Independent reported that Maye Musk, mother of tech billionaire Elon Musk, has come under fire for a post on X (formerly Twitter) that appeared to encourage voter fraud.
The controversy began when Elon Musk posted about the importance of voter registration, specifically mentioning the approaching deadline in Georgia.
Maye Musk quoted her son's post and added her controversial comment:
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.
In her post, Maye Musk suggested that followers could use multiple fake names to vote repeatedly, claiming it was not illegal and implying that Democrats were already employing such tactics. This statement was swiftly met with rebuttals from legal experts and other X users, who pointed out the illegality of such actions.
Attorneys and legal professionals were quick to respond to Maye Musk's post, highlighting the serious nature of her suggestions. Many pointed out that her statement could be interpreted as a solicitation to commit a crime, which is itself a punishable offense.
One civil rights attorney questioned the basis of Musk's claim, asking if she had any credible evidence that Democrats were engaging in such practices. This response underscored the importance of factual accuracy in discussions about electoral processes.
Another commenter, identifying as a retired attorney, emphasized the illegal nature of the suggested actions, stating that even if intended as a joke, it was not amusing given the seriousness of voter fraud allegations in recent years.
In a notable turn of events, X's own community fact-checking feature was activated on Maye Musk's post. A community note was added beneath her statement, clearly stating that the actions she described were, in fact, illegal.
This fact-check is linked to the U.S. Code, which explicitly prohibits intentional multiple voting. The swift application of this feature demonstrated the platform's ability to address potentially misleading information, even when posted by individuals closely associated with its ownership.
Following the backlash, Maye Musk made a follow-up post instructing followers to ignore her previous statement. She referenced information allegedly heard at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where she claimed Republicans would ensure that no "illegals" would vote.
This rally, where Elon Musk also spoke, became another point of controversy. The Tesla CEO made claims about the potential elimination of elections if former President Donald Trump does not win in November, adding another layer to the ongoing discussion about election integrity and misinformation.
The incident involving Maye Musk's social media post has sparked a wider debate about the responsibility of public figures in sharing election-related information. Her suggestion of multiple voting using fake names was quickly fact-checked and criticized by legal experts on the platform. The event underscores the ongoing challenges in managing election-related content on social media platforms, even when involving individuals closely associated with the platform's ownership.
