Turnout the Vote paid $200 for mobilizing voters, not voting for Harris | Fact check

The claim: Turnout the Vote paid people $200 to vote for Harris

A Nov. 4 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) includes a clip of a woman talking to the camera about a supposed money-making opportunity ahead of the presidential election.

“I got a text message offering me $200 to vote for Kamala Harris,” the woman says. "You're telling me this election isn't rigged?"

The video shows a screenshot of a text message purportedly from a representative from Turnout the Vote, an organization that aims to boost voter participation.

“This is your last chance to join us as a Voting Ambassador to make sure everyone knows how important it is to vote for Kamala Harris this fall,” the text message reads in part. “It’s fully remote and you can earn up to $200.”

The post was liked more than 650 times in a day.

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Our rating: False

The organization paid individuals to work as a “voting ambassador,” but compensation didn't depend on securing votes for Harris ? doing so would have violated federal election law. A Turnout the Vote spokesperson also told PolitiFact the claim is false.

Participants could earn up to $400, but not for their vote

While Turnout the Vote openly supported Harris' candidacy, the money referenced in the Instagram post wasn't offered in exchange for votes for the vice president.

The organization's “Voting Ambassador” program worked to mobilize voters in the swing states of Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Participants could earn $160 for completing an onboarding program and an additional $40 for attending a Zoom event, according to the Turnout the Vote website. They could also earn $10 “per successful referral, up to $200” for total potential earnings of $400.

While the website urges participants to tout Harris in their discussions with voters, the compensation was not and could not be tied to whether votes for Harris were ultimately cast.

The organization “never pays anyone to register to vote, vote in general or vote for a particular candidate,” PolitiFact reported, citing an interview with Turnout the Vote spokesperson Greta Carnes. “The organization also does not pay people for getting someone else to register to vote or vote.”

Federal election law bans paying individuals for registering to vote or voting, as reported by USA TODAY.

Fact check: South Carolina allows disabled, senior voters to cast ballots curbside

USA TODAY has debunked numerous claims related to voting, including false assertions that a video shows a Haitian man describing a plot to vote for Harris multiple times in Georgia, that votes cast on ballots marked by poll workers are invalid and that a misspelling of former President Donald Trump's name on an Ohio ballot could invalidate votes.

USA TODAY reached out to Turnout the Vote and the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

Check Your Fact also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

• PolitiFact, Nov. 5, No, this advocacy group isn’t paying people $200 to vote for Kamala Harris

• Turnout the Vote, accessed Nov. 5, About the Program

• Turnout the Vote, accessed Nov. 5, Become a Voting Ambassador

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Turnout the Vote paid 'voting ambassadors' up to $200 | Fact check