GREEN BAY, Wis. – On Tuesday, March 25, a group presenting themselves as Elon Musk’s America PAC appeared on the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay (UW-Green Bay) campus, offering $100 to any student who signed a petition opposing activist judges.
The group set up a table near the University Union, displaying a poster and forms that required students to provide sensitive information in order to receive the money.
Dane Snudden, president of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), said, “One of the big things was they were trying to get people’s Social Security numbers,” which left many passersby uneasy and questioning the legitimacy of the petitioners.
A UW-Green Bay political organizer who witnessed and documented the PAC’s presence on campus, said, “I discovered them right when I arrived on campus by 9:15 a.m. I figured out quickly who it was, and I immediately notified campus staff, as I was initially told it was illegal to table where they were set up in the past.”
The petitioners eventually left campus after security got involved and people began calling out the PAC about their actions, though after speaking with multiple sources, it seems campus officials were fine with the PAC’s presence.
“When we were tabling for Susan Crawford the following day, we had a few people come up to the table saying that they had accidentally signed [the petition], or they apologized for signing it, or saying, ‘I signed it yesterday. I didn’t realize what I was signing,’” Snudden added.
Ethan Toeller, a first-year student at UW-Green Bay and member of SDS, said, “A counterprotest was planned for the next time they came, and it sounded like a lot of people on campus were going to join in, but the petitioners never came back.”
According to Associated Press, paid America PAC canvassers had been appearing across Wisconsin since February, attempting to secure a seat on the state Supreme Court for conservative candidate, Brad Schimel.
Canvassers urged voters across the state to sign a petition in exchange for $100, with additional monetary rewards for referring others to sign the petition and creating social media posts about the petition.
America PAC has been heavily criticized for its attempts to influence the election. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit against Musk two days before his appearance in Green Bay in an attempt to stop the “$1 million check presentations” on Sunday, March 30 at the town hall event.
According the Green Bay Press Gazette, the checks were presented to Ekaterina Distler, a graphic designer, and Nicholas Jacobs, chairman of Wisconsin’s College Republicans chapter – leading to speculation on social media that these checks were not randomly administered.
Brown County citizens protested the PAC by gathering across the street of the town hall –outside the KI Convention Center – before the check presentation, holding signs that read, “For sale: Brad Schimel” and “Wisconsin is not for sale.”
Despite Elon Musk investing over $20 million into the race, exit polls reported Susan Crawford as the winner, receiving 55% of the vote to Schimel’s 45%. At around 9:20 p.m., Schimel addressed his supporters to let them know he had called Crawford and conceded.
“In retrospect, after the election. It seems like they were banking too hard on the monetary incentives,” Snudden said. “You know, it works for some people, but like on campus, the day after the PAC people came, Half Court, which was campaigning for Crawford got a record amount of pledges to vote the following day, so I think honestly they should have detached Elon’s name completely from it.”