Feb 21, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Nevada caucus volunteers asked to sign NDAs protecting the Democratic Party

Orion Rummler

In this image, a line of people wait outside near a sign that reads "vote here" and vote aqui" — Early voting for the Nevada Democratic presidential caucus on Feb. 18 in Las Vegas. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Election volunteers in charge of tallying results in Saturday's Democratic caucus are being asked to sign legal agreements to keep them from hurting the reputation of the Nevada Democratic Party, the Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: These nondisparagement agreements come after Democrats used an app created by Shadow Inc. that threw Iowa's caucuses into disarray, leading to delayed results amid evidence of an error-riddled process.

The impact: At least three caucus volunteers interviewed by the Post have quit in protest of the agreements.

What they're saying: Seth Morrison, a former volunteer caucus site leader, told the Post that he could not sign the agreement given to him by the party because it was "so broad, I could be sued for anything I say about the Democratic Party of Nevada while I'm serving as a volunteer" — which would bind him for life, he said.

Molly Forgey, a spokesperson for the Nevada Democrats, said the NDAs are voluntary and it is “standard practice to request staff and volunteers to sign an NDA because they are privy to strategic information.” Forgey did not comment as to why the agreements include a nondisparagement clause.

What to watch: Nevada's Democratic Party is currently distributing iPads with software from Cisco Systems for Saturday's caucus, the Post reports, and volunteers will use Google Forms to calculate how many delegates are awarded to each candidate.

Go deeper: Finger pointing continues over Iowa app fiasco

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Nevada caucus volunteers asked to sign NDAs protecting the Democratic Party

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