Elon Musk called on his followers on Twitter to vote for Republicans ahead of the 2022 midterms, suggesting that a divided government is what is best for independent voters. Early polling suggests the Democratic party is likely to lose control of the House of Representatives and possibly even the Senate.
“To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic,” Musk wrote to his followers in one tweet on Monday.
Musk continued in another tweet: “Hardcore Democrats or Republicans never vote for the other side, so independent voters are the ones who actually decide who’s in charge!”
Later in the day, Musk added that his hope for a gridlocked government is about a "balance of power."
“Like most people in America, I agree with some of the Democrat and some of the Republican policies, but not all,” Musk tweeted. “However, if executive and legislative branches are dominated by one party, then we lose balance of power.”
The tweets from Musk come after Twitter decided to postpone the implementation of a $7.99 monthly subscription fee for verification due to the midterms. According to a report from the New York Times, an internal memo at Twitter suggests that the company is worried about the spread of misinformation during election season. Employees are reportedly worried about scammers posing as officials sharing misinformation about voting results during the election.
One employee on Slack worried about the company "making such a risky change before elections, which has the potential of causing election interference."
The subscription fee program will now kick off on November 9, one day after the election.
Check out Musk's recent tweets below.
[Via]