Elon Musk has criticized voting by mail as “insane” and a cause of election fraud, despite having voted by mail in California twice in the past – in November 2016 and November 2018. Musk only cast ballots in these two elections during his 18 years of eligibility to vote in California, which began in 2002 when he became a U.S. citizen. He had a sparse history of voting in the state, skipping presidential, primary, and local elections.
In response to questions about his voting history and past statements on mail-in ballots, Musk did not address his votes but reiterated his view on voter fraud. Despite his criticisms of voting by mail, the majority of California voters in both of the elections Musk participated in chose to vote by mail. Musk has also voted by absentee ballot after moving to Texas in 2020, and he voted in a Texas election in June 2022 but skipped the November 2022 election.
While Musk has been critical of the security of mail-in voting, investigations and studies have found little evidence of widespread voter fraud in the U.S., particularly involving mail-in ballots. Musk has voted by mail despite his criticisms, similar to former President Donald Trump, who has also criticized mail-in voting while using it himself. Musk has also noted that he supported Democratic candidates in the past but described himself as having no party preference while registered in California.
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