Musk and the 2024 vote: the $1 million giveaway settlement, Grok's false ballot deadlines, and what the St. Clair texts do and do not show

People and organizations

Elon Musk, X (formerly Twitter), xAI, Donald Trump

Places

United States

Evidence label

Reporting — Original reporting by an identified news organization that we opened and dated. Investigative findings are attributed to the outlet, not asserted as adjudicated fact. More

Research records

C037, C038, C036

What happened

Three distinct 2024 election episodes involving Musk have recent developments. First, on October 15, 2026, Musk and his super PAC, America PAC, told a federal court in Austin, Texas that they had agreed to settle two proposed class actions alleging they defrauded voters in seven swing states by promising a random daily $1 million prize to people who signed a petition [2]. The filings did not include the settlement terms, and the deals require court approval [2]. Musk's lawyers had earlier conceded in court that winners were "not chosen by chance" but were selected as potential spokespeople for the PAC [3]. A judge had ruled in June 2026 that Musk would have to testify [2].

Second, in July 2024, X's artificial intelligence chatbot Grok falsely told users that the ballot deadline had passed in nine states after President Biden left the race, and repeated the claim for about ten days until it was corrected on July 31, 2024 [5]. Five secretaries of state wrote to Musk on August 5, 2024 asking for changes [5]. On August 21, 2024, X told them Grok would direct election-related queries to vote.gov, and the officials welcomed the change [6][7].

Third, NPR reported in September and October 2026 that it had "obtained and authenticated" text messages Musk sent to Ashley St. Clair, the mother of one of his children, on October 6, 2024, saying "tomorrow we unleash the anomaly in the matrix" and "I have over 10 thousand lasers in space right now" [1][8].

Why it matters

The giveaway raised the question of whether the country's largest donor could pay voters in battleground states weeks before an election. The Justice Department warned Musk in 2024 that the giveaways could violate federal vote-buying law, and the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission concluded in 2026 that he likely broke state law [3]. The Grok episode showed an election-information failure on a platform owned by a leading political donor reaching, by the secretaries' estimate, millions of people [5]. The texts matter because they have been used online to revive a claim of vote manipulation that election officials have repeatedly debunked [1][9].

The evidence

The giveaway record consists of the court filings announcing settlement, Musk's lawyers' prior concession about how winners were chosen, and the Philadelphia state-court ruling that let the sweepstakes continue on the eve of Election Day [2][3]. Forbes, citing the Austin American-Statesman, reported that 18 people received $1 million [4].

The Grok record is the secretaries' August 5, 2024 letter, which quotes Grok's false statement listing Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington, and the officials' August 26 statement confirming X's change [5][6].

The St. Clair record is NPR's reporting. NPR said it authenticated the texts but did not explain how [8]. Filmmaker Alex Gibney, whose documentary features the texts, said, "We don't claim that he changed votes in the 2024 election," only that Musk was "bragging to his lover" about special access to the outcome [8]. The University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public listed the Starlink and "space lasers" interference claims among "previously debunked" rumors reignited by the film [9].

Response and counterpoints

Musk and America PAC denied wrongdoing in the giveaway suits, and the settlement includes no admission [2][3]. A Pennsylvania judge allowed the sweepstakes to proceed in 2024 [3]. X fixed Grok's election responses within weeks of the complaint [6]. Musk's lawyer called the vote-upload insinuation "false" and noted the refuting material is public [1].

What remains uncertain

Settlement is not an admission of liability, and the terms remain undisclosed, and as of October 26, 2026 no court approval has been reported [2]. Grok's errors are a documented product failure, not evidence of intent [5]. The authenticity of the texts does not establish that any votes were altered, and this site does not make that claim; election officials have repeatedly debunked the narrative connecting Starlink satellites to the vote count [1][8]. What Musk meant by "the anomaly in the matrix" is unknown; Gibney himself said he does not know whether Musk was "lying to her or was he just bragging" [8].

Money and method

Entity: Elon Musk and America PAC. Money type: cash prizes to petition signers. Period: October to November 2024, actual, $1 million per day with 18 reported recipients, as cited by Forbes [4]. Settlement amounts: undisclosed as of October 26, 2026 [2]. No dollar figures attach to the Grok or St. Clair matters.

Sources cited

1. [1]
   Ashley St Clair texts and Musk documentary — NPR via CapRadio, 2026-09-11.

   supports · Paragraphs on Ashley St. Clair (St. Clair says Musk told her he would 'unleash the anomaly in the matrix' and texted that he had 'over 10 thousand lasers in space'; 'NPR obtained and authenticated the texts'; election officials repeatedly debunked the Starlink vote-count narrative; Musk's lawyer wrote 'the insinuation is false') · checked 2026-10-26 · source S043
2. [2]
   Elon Musk agrees to settle lawsuits over 2024 election lottery — Reuters, 2026-10-15.

   supports · Paragraphs 1-7 (Musk and America PAC told the Austin federal court on Oct 15, 2026 they agreed to settle two proposed class actions; terms not included; subject to court approval; plaintiffs are Arizona residents; defendants denied allegations; judge in June said Musk must testify) · checked 2026-10-26 · source N-musk-giveaway-grok-01
3. [3]
   Elon Musk settles fraud lawsuits over his $1 million giveaways to 2024 election voters — CNN, 2026-10-15.

   supports · Paragraphs 1-10 (Musk's lawyers conceded winners were 'not chosen by chance'; DOJ warned in 2024 the giveaway could violate vote-buying laws; Philadelphia DA suit; state judge allowed it to proceed; Wisconsin Elections Commission concluded Musk likely broke state law) · checked 2026-10-26 · source N-musk-giveaway-grok-02
4. [4]
   Musk Settles Lawsuit Over Predetermining Winners For $1 Million Election Giveaways — Forbes, 2026-10-15.

   supports · Topline, Key Facts and Big Number (settlement avoids testimony; 18 winners; Musk's representatives argued recipients were spokespeople paid a salary) · checked 2026-10-26 · source N-musk-giveaway-grok-03
5. [5]
   Letter from five Secretaries of State to Elon Musk, X Corp., regarding Grok — Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, 2024-08-05.

   supports · Letter dated Aug 5, 2024, paragraphs 1-3 (Grok falsely said ballot deadline had passed in nine states after July 21, 2024; repeated for more than a week until corrected July 31, 2024; 37 million constituents) · checked 2026-10-26 · source N-musk-giveaway-grok-04
6. [6]
   Secretaries of State Welcome Changes to X's AI search assistant — Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, 2024-08-26.

   supports · Paragraphs 1-6 (Aug 21, 2024: X told Minnesota Secretary of State that Grok now directs election queries to vote.gov; statement from five secretaries of state) · checked 2026-10-26 · source N-musk-giveaway-grok-05
7. [7]
   Social platform X edits AI chatbot after election officials warn that it spreads misinformation — Associated Press, 2024-08-26.

   supports · Paragraphs 1-8 (X changed Grok after five secretaries of state complained; false information repeated for 10 days; platform did not respond to request for comment) · checked 2026-10-26 · source N-musk-giveaway-grok-06
8. [8]
   How 'Musk' director Alex Gibney became a critic — NPR, 2026-10-08.

   supports · Sections 'Text messages', 'Musk and his lawyer's response' and 'Gibney's response' (texts dated Oct 6, 2024; 'NPR has obtained and authenticated the texts'; Spiro letter calls Starlink vote-upload insinuation 'false'; Gibney: 'We don't claim that he changed votes in the 2024 election') · checked 2026-10-26 · source N-musk-giveaway-grok-07
9. [9]
   Election Rumor Rundown for October 20: California arrests, absentee ballot claims spur rumors — University of Washington Center for an Informed Public, 2026-10-20.

   context · Section 'Fading Rumors' (new Musk film reignited previously debunked claims of election interference via Starlink and 'space lasers' ahead of the 2026 midterms) · checked 2026-10-26 · source N-musk-giveaway-grok-08