A group of canvassers working on behalf of America PAC, the pro-Trump political organization funded by tech billionaire Elon Musk, has filed a class-action suit against their employer, WIRED reported Friday.
America PAC, which along with its subcontractor Blitz Canvassing is tasked with independent get-out-the-vote operations for former President Donald Trump and a number of other Republicans, is effectively standing in for what in previous years the Republican National Committee and GOP presidential campaigns did in-house.
Named plaintiffs Tamiko Anderson and Patricia Kelly, who were doing voter outreach work for Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA), allege they were hired under the pretense they would be paid an hourly wage, but once onboarded, were told their pay would actually depend on how many doors they knocked, significantly jeopardizing the amount they thought they would earn.
According to the report, the canvassers are also suing over a "failure to reimburse business expenses and for allegedly being provided inaccurate wage statements."
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This comes after separate reporting that canvassers said they were abused and overworked, being threatened that they wouldn't be compensated for their hotel rooms and airfare if they didn't meet wildly inflated work quotas like knocking 1,000 doors a week. At least one of them said they weren't even told the job would involve canvassing for Trump and Republicans, or on behalf of Musk, when they applied.
All of these allegations provide context for other reports that some of the door-knockers working with Blitz Canvassing had resorted to fabricating data with GPS spoofing, to the point that up to 25 percent of their voter contacts in the battleground states of Arizona and Nevada may have been faked.
Blitz Canvassing has reportedly threatened employees against talking to the press.
Meanwhile, America PAC has faced multiple threats of criminal investigation, including allegations that they improperly obtained voters' personal information through a nonfunctional voter registration portal, and allegations that Musk's $1 million a day lottery for registered voters who sign his "pro-Constitution" petition is an illegal vote-buying scheme.
