--- title: "Elon Musk’s “Political Acivists” Aren’t What They Seem" description: "Engagement Ratings As part of Elon Musk's drive to get out the vote for Donald Trump, people were paid by his political action committee (PAC) to canvass for the candidate — but were allegedly threatened if they didn't meet quotas. In videos obtained by Wired, Michigan canvassers contracted through Musk's America PAC were seen riding in […]" date: "2024-10-31" modified: "2024-10-31" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-canvassers-michigan" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "donald trump" - "elon musk" - "politics" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk’s “Political Acivists” Aren’t What They Seem ![People canvassing for Elon Musk's America PAC are allegedly dealing with workplace conditions way harsher than expected.]() *\Image: Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty\* ## Engagement Ratings As part of Elon Musk's drive to get out the vote for Donald Trump, workers were paid by his political action committee (PAC) to canvass for the candidate — but were allegedly threatened if they didn't meet quotas. In [videos obtained by *Wired*](), Michigan canvassers contracted through Musk's America PAC were seen riding in the back of a U-Haul van while the person driving it told them that if they didn't bring in enough Trump voters, they wouldn't have their motel housing paid for. What's worse, one of the people the magazine spoke to wasn't even aware that when they signed up with Blitz Canvassing, the firm contracted to do the door-knocking, that they'd be working for Musk and Trump. According to contracts the canvassers signed, which were also reviewed by *Wired*, workers were "expected to maintain a 17-22 percent engagement rate during the campaign." Translation: they were not only supposed to get nearly a quarter of people to open the door when they come knocking, but to also get that many people to commit to a vote for Trump. In a battleground state like Michigan, that's a near-impossible margin to clear — but if they didn't make it happen, these canvassers were allegedly punished. "What’s gonna happen is, they’re gonna stop paying for these rooms," a canvassing manager was heard saying in the recordings shared with *Wired*, which the website did not publish. "And then you’re gonna end up having to pay for it yourself. You can’t do that with no money." ## Bottom Line Ironically, it appears that the Michigan canvassing operation is having operational issues of its own. As some of the paid door-knockers told *Wired,* none of their group had valid driving licenses. When it came time to start driving around neighborhoods their organizers were confused about what to do. They initially began Ubering people to neighborhoods before settling on the solution seen in the video: driving them around in the back of U-Hauls, where they were forced to bounce around on suburban Michigan roads without seat belts. "We were all told our transportation would be handled and we’d be in rental cars," one of the canvassers told the magazine. "It turned out to be U-Haul vans, and I felt embarrassed and played." Neither Musk, America PAC, nor Blitz Canvassing responded to *Wired*'s requests for comment. As [Federal Election Commission disclosures show](), however, the canvasser contracting firm has received more than $9 million for its services. Even for the poor workplace conditions alleged at [Musk's]() and [Trump]()'s companies, this seems beyond the pale — but to the people who support both moguls, it's very unlikely that it'll matter. **More on Elon Musk:** [*Elon Musk Says That If Trump Wins, He'll Cause the Economy to Crash*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()