The voter-registration drive is photographing completed forms for proof of activity

I volunteered at a voter-registration drive run by a community group. The training covered where completed forms should go and told us not to answer eligibility questions from memory. That part felt careful. Then the team lead asked volunteers to photograph each completed form before submission so the group could prove how many registrations it collected.

The forms contain personal information. I will not list the fields because forms and rules vary, but the pages were plainly not ordinary event flyers. Taking phone photos created copies outside the submission process. I asked where the images would be stored, who could see them, when they would be deleted, and whether the election authority had instructed the group to do this. The lead said the photos were only for internal accountability and everyone used personal phones.

I refused to take pictures and paused my table. I did not tell applicants that their forms were invalid or make claims about the law. I told the lead I needed written guidance from the official election office or the group's authorized compliance contact before creating any copy. I also kept the completed forms physically secured and followed the stated delivery chain.

Some volunteers were annoyed because they had already photographed several forms. One said deleting the images would ruin the count. Another said the group could blur sensitive fields later. Later is not a reassuring time to discover what should never have been captured.

I want to escalate this proportionately and quickly. The priority is protecting applicants and getting forms to the proper authority, not winning an argument with the organizer.

What should a volunteer do when an unofficial tracking practice conflicts with the privacy discipline the task appears to require? Which official channel should be asked for instructions without delaying valid submissions?