Elon Musk now says mail-in ballots are "insane," but that's how he voted in California

Earlier this year, Elon Musk slammed voting by mail, calling it “insane” and falsely suggesting it is linked to widespread election fraud. However, Musk's own voting record, obtained by NBC News, shows that the tech tycoon voted twice by mail prior to moving out of California in 2020.

In November 2016, the records show that Musk voted by mail from his primary residence at the time, in Los Angeles, and then again in the November 2018 midterm election.

State records also show that the billionaire has only cast ballots in two elections in the 18 years he was eligible to vote in California. The South African-born Musk first became eligible to vote in 2002 when he became a U.S. citizen.

Despite his limited participation in the U.S. electoral system, Musk has posed as an expert on his social media website, X.

“In the USA, you don’t need government issued ID to vote and you can mail in your ballot. This is insane,” he wrote in January 2024. In reality, it is standard practice, including in the state of California, for first-time voters to mail copies of their IDs with their ballots; identification is also required when people register to vote.

In May, Musk also falsely claimed that voting by mail was generally “not allowed” before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. “Widespread voting by mail (not allowed before the scamdemic) makes proving fraud almost impossible," he claimed

When NBC News reached out to Musk for a comment about his voting history, the X and Tesla CEO returned to his right-wing talking points.

“Voting by mail has been recognized as an invitation to fraud throughout the world,” he claimed in an email.

According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, the number of people voting by mail has increased steadily since the 1980s and "is a safe, secure, and reliable voting method used by voters of all political parties."

"Mail ballot envelopes typically require a voter’s signature, identification number, or other identifying information," the center notes. And before it is counted, "election officials check to make sure that the signature or identification number matches that which is on file."