A video allegedly showing an America PAC vote canvasser in Nevada using GPS spoofing technology to simulate door-to-door voter outreach without actually visiting the locations is raising concerns President Donald J. Trump’s get-out-the-vote operation may be compromised. First obtained by the Guardian newspaper, the footage appears to be an instructional video outlining how users can download an application to falsely position themselves at targeted addresses, complete with fabricated survey responses.
America PAC—backed by a $75 million contribution from tech billionaire Elon Musk—has largely spearheaded voter outreach efforts for Trump’s presidential campaign in several critical swing states. If the use of GPS spoofing applications is widespread among canvassers, it could seriously undermine efforts to mobilize Trump’s voter base in critical battleground states like Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
Despite the release of the video, the full extent of the spoofing practice remains uncertain, largely due to the difficulty of detecting such activities without corroborative data from alternative tracking systems. However, the Guardian notes it casts doubt on the authenticity of voter interactions reported by America PAC’s field operations.
In response to these developments, America PAC, alongside its vendors Blitz, Patriot Grassroots, Echo Canyon, and the Synapse Group, issued a statement asserting their use of advanced auditing tools designed to identify fraudulent activities and ensure accountability within their operations. Additionally, Blitz—which oversees canvassing efforts in Arizona and Nevada—employs the Quickbooks Workforce app that includes tracking features—although these can be circumvented by disabling location services.
America PAC is not alone in facing such challenges; GPS spoofing has been a longstanding issue in political canvassing that is costly to monitor effectively.
