Workers Say They Were Tricked and Threatened as Part of Elon Musk’s Get-Out-the-Vote Effort
The video from inside the van shows a bumpy ride, with a cage separating the mostly Black door knockers from their driver. The driver also told the group of door knockers that he was in pain and had difficulty driving: “I just had surgery, bro,” the U-Haul driver says in another recording obtained by WIRED. “Like half of my foot is cut off.”
“I’m scared,” the door knocker who spoke to WIRED replies on the recording.
“And all [the manager] is concerned about is how many motherfuckin’ doors the bitch got,” the driver responds.
The canvassers were then dropped off roughly 40 minutes apart from each other, relying on the mobile app to log their interactions at front doors.
In a contract agreement reviewed by WIRED, door knockers were given specific “performance guidelines” along with a mandate to “keep the GPS function of their personal device turned on during all working hours.” Each knock at the door must be done in 15 seconds or less, and the contractors “must remain on a property for at least 30 seconds.”
The Campaign Sidekick app used by America PAC has severe limitations in its functionality, including the lack of a geo-tracking feature—hence the requirement that canvassers leave GPS services on for their personal devices at all times, according to a contract reviewed by WIRED—forcing them to use “offline walkbooks,” a function of the America PAC app, that don’t offer the support of GPS or real-time upload capabilities.
While this particular group of door knockers was being managed through Blitz Canvassing, screenshots shared with WIRED show America PAC listed in the mobile app they were using to knock on doors.
“Recommended attire includes a red polo shirt with khaki pants or jeans, and closed-toed shoes,” the “attire” section of the contract reads. “Clothing with graffiti, writing, or ripped jeans/shorts is not allowed.”
