Election officials in North Carolina and Georgia are warning about suspicious voter-registration mailers linked to Elon Musk.
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Election officials in North Carolina and Georgia are warning of suspicious mailers from an organization linked to Elon Musk after recipients complained that the letters used outdated names and addresses, or were sent to dead voters.
The organization, Ready to Register, took steps to conceal who’s behind it. But the website’s source code links to another group affiliated with Musk’s political outfit, America PAC, suggesting the websites share the same operator. The website’s code also says, “By providing your telephone number and email, you consent to receive emails, calls, and text messages from America PAC.”
Representatives for the PAC declined to comment.
Voters and local election officials started complaining last week about mailers from Ready to Register, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections and the Paulding County, Georgia, Board of Elections and Voter Registration. The bulk mailing included outdated voter-registration applications listing political parties that are not currently recognized in North Carolina and incorrect return mailing addresses for voters in New Hanover County, which contains the city of Wilmington.
The letters appear official, with a seal and bold text saying “IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED” and “OFFICIAL DOCUMENT ENCLOSED.” The Paulding County board publicly clarified that it did not send the mailers.
The North Carolina board made a public statement seeking to reduce confusion and contacted Ready to Register but has not received a response, spokesman Jason Tyson said. The organization has not done anything illegal and is not under investigation, he added.
Legitimate organizations usually meet with election officials before sending bulk voter-registration mailings and do not make mistakes such as listing incorrect parties, Tyson said. He said the board could not currently tell whether the errors were the result of sloppy work or trying to mislead voters.
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“Stuff like that is kind of fishy,” Tyson said. “This organization appears to be operating with poor, maybe nefarious, intentions.”
Voter registration was historically led by official parties or well-recognized community groups, but secretive entities that don’t disclose their staff or donors have increasingly gotten involved as the Supreme Court weakened federal campaign finance rules. Musk’s voter-registration efforts in 2024 included a drawing for a $1 million giveaway, a tactic that survived legal challenges from some officials and watchdogs.
The latest letters were signed by a project coordinator named Erik Leigh, whom The Washington Post was unable to locate in public records. The organization used a post office box in Alexandria, Virginia, and its incorporation records in Delaware used a corporate agent that disguises its ownership.
The phone number listed on Ready to Register’s Facebook advertiser account was not in service. The account showed ads running since late June targeting Facebook users in North Carolina, Georgia and Ohio.
Musk, the world’s richest man who briefly became the first trillionaire with June’s public offering of SpaceX stock, has spent more money on politics than any person in history — more than $250 million to support President Donald Trump and other Republicans in 2024. He has not publicly specified his plans for the 2026 midterms, but his relationship with Trump has recovered from their clash last year over the president’s domestic spending package and Musk’s temporary role in charge of shrinking the federal workforce.
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Aaron Schaffer and Razzan Nakhlawi contributed to this report.
