BRAD LEE BARNHILL

NAME: Brad Lee Barnhill

AGE:   70

PARTY AFFILIATION:   Independent American Party of Nevada

DAY JOB:  

Litigation Paralegal

EDUCATION: 

B.S. Computer Science, University of Virginia

HOW LONG YOU HAVE LIVED IN NEVADA:  

since 2002

WRITE A BRIEF (TWO TO THREE SENTENCES) SUMMARY OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE THAT WOULD ENABLE YOU TO PERFORM THE DUTIES OF THIS OFFICE:

With 20 years as a Nevada civil litigation paralegal and 20 years as a computer systems analyst, I bring both legal precision and technical expertise directly relevant to election administration and state IT oversight. I solve problems for a living — and Nevada needs a Secretary of State who does the same. 

WHAT IS YOUR TOP PRIORITY IF ELECTED?

Voters will pass Question 7 this November. Voter ID will be amended into the Nevada Constitution. The next Secretary of State will be responsible for implementing Voter ID. I have the plan to do just that.

IN JUST A FEW SENTENCES: WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM FACING OUR STATE, AND HOW WOULD YOU FIX IT?

Nevada's biggest problem right now is eroding trust in our elections — and duplicate, unreconciled voter registrations are a big part of why. My own research uncovered over 9,600 Nevadans with duplicate active registrations, all showing votes recorded under both, which the Secretary of State's office has yet to properly audit. As SOS, I'd use the office's existing regulatory and training authority — no new legislation required — to implement a statewide flag-and-investigate duplicate-detection program and fully enforce Voter ID under Question 7, restoring confidence through transparency and accountability rather than accusations.

CONSUMER PRICES, GAS PRICES, AND HOUSING COSTS ARE HISTORICALLY HIGH, WHILE WAGES HAVE NOT KEPT PACE IN NEVADA. WHAT IS YOUR PLAN TO HELP NEVADANS WHO ARE STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY?

The Secretary of State doesn't set tax policy, but the office does control how easy — or hard — it is to start and grow a business in Nevada, and that's where I'd focus. I'd streamline business formation and cut red tape (including finishing the SilverFlume-to-ORION IT modernization) and strengthen business privacy protections, modeled on states like Wyoming and Colorado, to make Nevada more competitive for the kind of economic diversification that reduces our over-reliance on tourism and gaming — the volatility that hits working families hardest when travel spending dips. I also support repealing the Commerce Tax, and as SOS I'd use the office's public platform to advocate for it alongside the Legislature, since a lighter tax burden on Nevada businesses means more jobs and higher wages for Nevada workers.

WHERE DO YOU STAND ON THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF AI, AND THE PROLIFERATION OF DATA CENTERS? WHAT ROLE DO YOU SEE NEVADA TAKING IN EACH?

AI and data centers represent real economic opportunity for Nevada — diversifying us beyond tourism and gaming with high-value jobs and tax revenue — but growth has to be paired with accountability, not blind boosterism. As Secretary of State, I'd use the office's business registration and formation authority to ensure data center and AI-related entities meet the same transparency standards as any other Nevada business, and I'd champion clear, consistent enforcement of laws like AB 73's AI-disclosure requirements — something my own campaign already complies with voluntarily. I'd also flag the resource side of this conversation: data centers draw heavily on power and water, and while that's not the SOS's lane directly, the office's public platform is a place to push for honest, transparent reporting on those impacts so Nevadans — not just developers — benefit from this growth.

IN ONE SENTENCE: WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING VOTERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOU?

I'm not a career politician chasing power — I'm a problem-solver with 40 years of legal and technical experience who filed a federal lawsuit on my own dime to fix Nevada's voter rolls before I ever asked for your vote.

YES OR NO: WILL YOU ACCEPT THE RESULTS OF THIS ELECTION, WHETHER YOU WIN OR LOSE?  

Yes