Elon Musk says voting by mail is 'insane' -- but he has done it himself, records show

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

Aug. 30, 2024, 9:00 AM EDT / Updated Aug. 30, 2024, 11:45 AM EDT


Elon Musk has attacked voting by mail as an “insane” idea that encourages election fraud, but he voted by mail twice when he lived in California, according to records of his voting history obtained by NBC News.

Musk voted by mail in November 2016, the year Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, and in the November 2018 midterm election, the records show. Musk’s primary residence was in Los Angeles at the time.

The state records show that Musk had a sparse history of voting in California. During the 18 years he was eligible to vote there, he cast ballots in only those two elections. He became eligible to vote when he became a U.S. citizen in 2002 and cast his first ballot 14 years later, at age 45. He was actively registered to vote by August 2006, the records show.

Among the elections Musk skipped were presidential races in which Barack Obama, John McCain and Mitt Romney were on the ballot, all primary elections and all local elections. California has an open primary system in which all registered voters are allowed to participate. This is the first time Musk’s California voting records have been made public.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/elon-musks-voting-record-shows-voted-mail-california-rcna168854

[thesquanderer]

1. What a nonsense story. Thinking a government policy is insane doesn't mean you shouldn't use it if it benefits you.

I think some tax deductions are insane. But I'll still take them if I can.

[OnDoutside]

3. It's just pointing out he's a hypocrite, that's all

[thesquanderer]

6. While he may be a hypocrite for other reasons, I would not say he's a hypocrite here, that's the point.

Someone may think the home mortgage deduction is unfair and should be abolished. But I do not think that means they are a hypocrite if they take advantage of it.

[travelingthrulife]

35. So it is insane but he does it. So he is insane then?

[skypilot]

18. I think that the larger point is that...

...he had the option to vote in the less "insane" way for all the years he was eligible and yet by mail is the way he chose on the two occasions he deigned to vote at all. Going to an actual polling site could have "benefitted" him as well but for some reason he didn't bother.

[thesquanderer]

20. It's insane for the govt to offer it; but since they do, it's very sensible for an individual to use it.

I think that's the Musk perspective here, and it is reasonable... not hypocritical or contradictory. It's certainly possible for someone to think that, as a matter of policy, the government shouldn't do something because of certain downsides, but that doesn't mean that it can't be beneficial for some individuals. He decided it was more beneficial for him to vote by mail than to vote in person, probably because he values his time very highly. The fact that he doesn't think the govt should permit it because it (supposedly) also facilitates fraud is not relevant to his decision about whether or not to avail himself of the convenience that is being offered, even if he'd rather it wasn't, and would gladly sacrifice the convenience if it meant nobody could do it.

Though now that you've made me defend him, I have to shower.

[skypilot]

21. Why is it insane...

... for the government to offer it? If voting that way is as susceptible to fraud as Musk and Trump and all of their followers would like us to believe then I think that would have been proven by now. And I still say that he has always had the option to vote in person if he is so distrusting of voting by mail. We all value our time.

[thesquanderer]

32. re: "Why is it insane for the government to offer it?" -- As I said, that's Musk's perspective. Not mine.

I couldn't find a way to fit that text AND that context into the subject line, so you had to actually read the post to see that part. (I do NOT believe it is insane to offer it.)

And I still say that he has always had the option to vote in person if he is so distrusting of voting by mail.

Again, I think you're missing the point. He's not distrustful of Elon Musk voting by mail. He's distrustful about allowing OTHER people to vote by mail... i.e. including people who--in HIS eyes--may not be as ethical as he is (uh huh) and may find ways to abuse it. So he'd like it stopped, even if it meant he would no longer be able to do it himself.

[skypilot]

36. Bottom line:

Fuck his perspective.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

37. Musk doesn't have a perspective except to rile up his moron followers.

His one word descriptions are lazy and do nothing but sow dissension.

Wow

Crazy

Interesting

Disturbing

All he is doing is platforming negative ideas to his moron minions. Why are you defending him when he can’t even be bothered to make an actual argument?

[thesquanderer]

38. I'm not defending his *position*. I'm saying the "hypocrisy" argument against him in the OP is nonsense.

There are plenty of legit negatives about Musk, I see no need to resort to making up fake ones.

[Lanius]

40. Lol

I'm not defending his *position*. I'm saying the "hypocrisy" argument against him in the OP is nonsense.

Oh, ok. 🙄

[thesquanderer]

43. DId you not understand my post?

Musk has a position against mail-in voting, I'm not defending that position. But I don't think it's hypocrisy to mail in your vote even if you think mail-in voting is bad policy. Any more than I bought into the criticisms that Al Gore was a hypocrite for campaigning against climate change while not living in a yurt.

Like I said, there are plenty of legit negatives about Musk, I see no need to resort to making up fake ones.

[Javaman]

2. In other news: musky is still an opportunist piece of shit. That is all nt

[Dave Bowman]

26. +1 Yep, that's pretty much all there is to say about that megalomaniac.

[moniss]

4. What's insane is the media constantly hanging on every word

from this a**hole.

[turbinetree]

5. How's the car business doing? See you lost money again and your worried about people voting...........

what did your family say about voting in South Africa during Apartheid ...............just asking ...............did they stand up and say that everyone had a right to vote.................

[Comfortably_Numb]

7. Everything Musty thinks, does, and says is an expression of hypocritical narcissism, just like his cult leader magaturd.

[wolfie001]

8. He's working directly with Russian agitprop I guess

Everything he says would be part of a pootin playbook. I'll bet he keeps in touch with Andrew Tate as well.

[republianmushroom]

9. Not surprising, just another republican, do as I say not as I do.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

10. Why should anyone care about anything Elon Musk says.

He should stick to making cars and rockets.

[airplaneman]

16. My sentiments exactly n/t.

[Dave Bowman]

27. "He should stick to making cars and rockets."

Well, lately he's not even good at doing that.

[Lanius]

41. Re:

Why should anyone care about anything Elon Musk says.

Many Americans (or at least the American media) attribute divine status to billionaires. They made so much money that they must be special or a genius or whatever, right? That means we have to hang on to their every word. Someone who made a ton of money creating and selling tech companies must know all about politics or science, right?

[LeftInTX]

11. Yes, he has! Pretty sure he mailed the ballot.

[peppertree]

12. Muskrat thinks democracy ITSELF is insane

One dollar, one vote - as far as that one's concerned.

[bucolic_frolic]

13. So expect a lawsuit to try to disqualify all mail in ballots

Eloon can't keep his mouth shut. For the little he says he has loose lips than Trump.

[Mblaze]

15. Elon

Is such a Boer.

[Dave Bowman]

28. Lol, that's good.

[Mblaze]

14. We've been voting by mail since 1983

In WA St. without any problems. We've had recounts in close races, again no problem. Republicans want to cast doubt on the entire democratic system so they can game it more easily.

[FakeNoose]

17. Yes that's exactly the strategy

It didn't work in 2020 and now the R's are doubling down.

[AllaN01Bear]

19. will somebody on here please tell me where i have to vote at a fixed place . i am disabled . dont drive ,

the busses are unreliabe . so fourth. i live close enogh for my health care worker to take me to tuolumne county elections office . many places are far flung so vote by mail makes sense . rs put vbm (vote by mail) years ago to get around democrats , but , like everything the rs touch. it blows up.

[FakeNoose]

34. Are you registered to vote in California?

If yes then you can get a ballot mailed to you. Here are the instrux:
https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/voter-registration/vote-mail

[AllaN01Bear]

39. yeppers . thank goodness.

[valleyrogue]

22. Voting by mail is the best idea ever.

Oregon has had it for over 20 years, and it has been a huge success. Who would EVER want to go back to in-person voting or electronic voting after having the convenience of voting at home, going over the voter's pamphlet and picking whoever the voting person wants or voting on an issue.

ALL states should have vote by mail, not just absentee voting. There is no evidence at all that voting by mail inherently benefits Democrats, and that is the biggest objection Republican politicians have to it.

[relayerbob]

23. Elon Musk having the right to vote is insane

From what his brother has said, he did not enter the US legally.

[Roy Rolling]

25. Biden should use his new SCOTUS powers

Nationalize Space-X and Twitter, sever all contractual ties with any of Elmo’s financial interests.

Let the courts sort it all out in a dragged-out judicial proceeding that could take ten years.

If we’re lucky.

[relayerbob]

42. Sounds good

Except Twitter, just shut it the fuck down. As bad as it was before, it's a toxic dump of right wing crazy now.

[womanofthehills]

45. Presidents & past presidents and most of Congress post on Twitter

Top drs from all over the world, top immunologists - you can follow all the Long Covid research being done
at Mount Sinai- Yale from their researchers, you can connect with your favorite authors - it’s endless. Actually- more college educated people are on Twitter - so more Dems.

On Sept 7, the people of Brazil will be out protesting new law - $10,000 fine for one Twitter post. You think Americans will go for a Twitter shutdown when a third of Americans are on Twitter and many make a living off it. Also, this 3rd is mostly under 50. I think Dems staying off Twitter is a big mistake as we can be big influencers of the young.

[Roy Rolling]

24. WTF?

When the Slobfather slithers off the front page of every news outlet will he now be replaced by Elmo?

Who the fvck cares what Elmo says or does, commercial media better not serve up another anti-hero and glorify him just to sell advertising and political propaganda money.

[Basso8vb]

29. We're coming for you, Elon.

You should be very very afraid, little man.

[Voltaire2]

30. Insane person claims his prior actions were insane.

[Bengus81]

31. Hope Eloon keeps spewing this same BS about voting by mail

It won't stop any Dems from voting that way but it will stop Republicans. That's why Trump knew he was DONE at 2am in 2020 when Biden was leading and mail in ballots hadn't been counted.

[twodogsbarking]

33. So don't vote dipshit..

[struggle4progress]

44. Translation: "I'm a proud member of the party of vacuous shrieking noises"

[Martin68]

46. Elon Musk says voting by mail is insane. He voted by mail. Ergo...

[progressoid]

47. Trump did the same thing in 2020. He said voting by mail was corrupt then tweeted to his supporters to vote by mail.

[pecosbob]

48. Sez the guy that got all the money to by Xitter from Russian oligarchs Petr Aven and Vadim Moshkovich.

Of course, he sued to keep their identities secret, and lost.

[Montauk6]

49. Didn't he pretty much say likewise about working from home?

[ck4829]

50. Really Elon?

[AlexSFCA]

51. Voting by mail is the best! I wish all states allowed automatic voting by mail option for all residents.

and automatic voter registration. Each state should ensure that voting as easily accessible as possible and as many people choose to vote as possible. More people voting leads to less division and better overall happiness.