Fact check: Do political organizations typically pay people to attend public events?

1. Summary of the results

The practice of paying people to attend political events has a complex historical and contemporary reality. While there is historical evidence of such practices dating back to ancient Athens and Rome ^[1], and notable examples like the Border Ruffians in pre-Civil War Kansas ^[2], specific modern allegations often turn out to be false. For instance, recent claims about the Kamala Harris campaign paying attendees were definitively debunked ^[3], and similar allegations about Trump rally protesters in 2016 were also proven false ^[4].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements need to be considered:

• Professional crowd services exist, such as Crowds on Demand, which openly provides paid demonstrators for various events ^[1]
• There's an economic justice argument that paying protesters enables participation from those who cannot afford to take time off work ^[5]
• Modern evolution of paid participation has shifted to digital spaces, with "online political astroturfing" becoming more common ^[6]
• Authenticity of participation remains important - research suggests people are unlikely to support causes they fundamentally disagree with, even for payment ^[5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself oversimplifies a nuanced issue. Here's what needs to be considered:

• Historical vs. Modern Context: While there is historical precedent for paid political participation ^[2], modern claims often turn out to be misinformation ^[4]
• Beneficiaries of the narrative:

Political opponents benefit from spreading allegations of paid attendance to delegitimize their rivals' support

Companies like Crowds on Demand benefit from normalizing paid attendance ^[1]

• Definition matters: The practice of "astroturfing" - creating artificial grassroots support - often involves paid advocates ^[7], but this differs from legitimate grassroots organizing
• Verification challenges: While some cases are clearly documented, many allegations of paid attendance are difficult to verify and frequently turn out to be false ^{[3] [4]}