Tim Pollard from Blitz Canvassing confirmed to WIRED that subcontractors involved with the organization should not have transported their canvassers in a U-Haul van, and appropriate reprimands were issued to those responsible. On October 30, a Wednesday, Muldrow and her colleagues were dismissed just hours following the release of a story by WIRED.
Initially, users experienced difficulty accessing Campaign Sidekick, the application employed by America PAC for canvassing efforts. Confusion arose before the app users were informed of the termination: “Everyone is fired,” stated Jones, the door knockers’ manager, in a GroupMe chat, as confirmed by screenshots obtained by WIRED. Jones did not respond to requests for comment on the situation.
Muldrow initially suspected that Jones might be joking about the dismissals. However, some canvassers soon discovered they were locked out of Campaign Sidekick, according to exchanges seen in the group chat. Muldrow immediately contacted her mother, who speculated it might be a prank due to their familial connection, suggesting Muldrow could depend on her cousin for a return flight, preventing her from being stranded.
Subsequently, Muldrow reported that Jones began questioning the door knockers about who had communicated with the media. As tensions rose, Muldrow grew concerned for her safety. She gathered her belongings and contacted Connor Berdy, a political consultant from Warren, Michigan, known for his community organizing efforts through Vote For Change LLC.
Muldrow had met Berdy on October 23, after one of his employees started a conversation with her during her canvassing duties. They later arranged to meet for lunch, during which Muldrow disclosed the incidents of being misled, intimidated, and transported in U-Hauls to canvassing locations. Berdy remarked that the management had evidently failed to prioritize worker safety or operational integrity.
Berdy subsequently arrived on the scene, posing as an Uber driver to safely extricate Muldrow from the environment. He also provided Muldrow with a flight back home to Florida, covering the expense himself.
