the Democratic Party .... (we just don't trust people) {inconsequential people must be quiet}

Feb 21, 2020 at 9:29 pm ET

Caucus Volunteers Say Nevada Democratic Party Asked Them to Sign Privacy Agreements

The Nevada Democratic Party has asked at least some volunteers in Saturday's caucuses to sign non-disclosure agreements that could prevent them from speaking openly about the process, two volunteers said.

One volunteer said that he quit on Friday after state party representatives told him he had to sign the agreement in order to work as a site leader.

The volunteer, Seth Morrison, said he respected that some information, like identifying information about voters, should be kept confidential, but that he felt the language in the agreement was overly broad.

“They told me that if I don’t sign it, I can’t be a site lead,” he said, adding that he had asked if they could work out another option, such as an agreement with different language. “I was disappointed. I want this process to work.”

A spokeswoman for the state party contradicted that account, saying that non-disclosure agreements aren’t required for volunteers. The spokeswoman, Molly Forgey, added that it is standard practice to ask volunteers who handle sensitive internal information to sign such agreements. The state party also used such agreements during the 2018 election cycle, she said.

Another volunteer in the Las Vegas area said that he was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement because he volunteered to help count early voting ballots. The volunteer said he thought it was “reasonable” because he was dealing with ballots.

One of the non-disclosure agreements, which is four pages long, appeared to cover not only being a caucus volunteer but also other efforts such as answering phones on behalf of the party, according to a copy reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

One part of the four-page agreement reads, “I will take all measures necessary to protect the secrecy of, and avoid disclosure and unauthorized use of, Confidential Information of the NSDP."

The agreement also included instructions to not speak to reporters.

“With the attention focused on Nevada politics, it is possible that I will encounter reporters while working for or volunteering in an official capacity for the NSDP. If I am contacted by a reporter, I must immediately refer him or her to the Communications Director or Executive Director at the Las Vegas headquarters."

It continued: "THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS."

Alexa Corse, Emily Glazer