Elon Musk has criticized voting by mail as an “insane” idea that encourages election fraud, but records show that he voted by mail twice when he lived in California in 2016 and 2018. Musk has a sparse voting history in California, only casting two ballots in 18 years despite being eligible since becoming a U.S. citizen in 2002. He skipped presidential, primary, and local elections in California but voted by mail at least twice. Although Musk has openly criticized voting by mail, statistics show that a majority of California voters choose to vote by mail.
Despite Musk’s claims about voter fraud, investigations have shown that widespread voter fraud is rare in the U.S. and cases involving mail-in ballots are exceedingly rare. Musk also endorsed Donald Trump in the past, who has also criticized voting by mail while utilizing it. Musk’s own Super PAC has encouraged swing state voters to absentee vote by mail. He has also shared misleading information about voter ID requirements and the prevalence of voting by mail before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Musk has not publicly addressed his own voting history or the contradiction between his criticisms of voting by mail and his personal use of mail-in ballots. He has stated that he voted for Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020, and was registered without party affiliation in California. Musk, who now lives in Texas, voted by absentee ballot in Texas in 2020 and reportedly voted in a Texas election in June 2022. Despite his criticisms, Musk has utilized voting by mail and benefited from the system he has publicly denounced.
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