I spent 20 years as a computer systems analyst before I spent 20 years as a litigation paralegal in Nevada. Both jobs taught me the same lesson: a system is only as trustworthy as the records it leaves behind. If you can’t check it, you’re being asked to take it on faith. Nevada voters shouldn’t have to.
Election technology isn’t the enemy, and it isn’t a cure-all. It’s a set of tools. The question I’ll ask about every one of them as Secretary of State is simple: does it make your vote easier to cast and easier to verify? If the answer is no, it doesn’t belong in our elections.
Paper is the backstop
Whether you mark a ballot by hand, mail it in, or use an accessible voting machine, your vote should leave a paper record you can see. Software can count fast. Paper is what lets us prove the count was right. Every upgrade I support will keep that paper record at the center, because it’s the evidence an audit depends on.
Nevada already requires audits, and the Secretary of State writes the rules
Many voters don’t know this: Nevada law already requires every county clerk to run a risk-limiting audit before results are certified, and the Secretary of State’s office sets the rules for how those audits work. That means real improvements are possible without waiting on the Legislature. As Secretary of State, I would:
- Publish the audit schedule in advance, along with the results, in plain language
- Make public observation easy and well-organized, not an afterthought
- Use the office’s existing authority to widen audit scope when races are close or questions arise
I’ve written more about this in How Nevada Election Audits Build Voter Confidence.
Clean voter rolls are a data problem, and I solve data problems
In my federal lawsuit, Barnhill v. Aguilar, I identified 9,607 Nevadans with duplicate active voter registrations, which produced 12,465 matched registration pairs. Each pair shows a 2024 General Election vote recorded under both registration numbers. I’m not alleging fraud. I’m asking for an audit, a public accounting, and a statewide duplicate-detection program, because modern matching tools should catch this before an election, not after.
The fix is flag-and-investigate, done inside the Secretary of State’s office using Social Security and citizenship verification data. Records get flagged, and then people check them. No lawful voter gets removed automatically.
Statewide standards, county realities
A busy Clark County vote center and a small precinct near Ely have different needs, but they should get the same safeguards. The Secretary of State should set clear statewide standards for equipment testing, security, training, and reporting. Counties shouldn’t have to decode technical requirements on their own.
The state should also track aging equipment and plan replacements years ahead, so that counties budget calmly instead of buying in a panic after a failure. The cheapest bid isn’t the best value if the system is hard to audit or expensive to support. (Rural access matters too.)
Security is daily work, not an Election Day promise
Cybersecurity is something an election office does every day, not something it buys once. It means strong account controls, tested backups, keeping critical systems off unnecessary networks, and training workers until the right habits become routine. Voters don’t need the technical manual. They deserve regular, plain-language reports showing that the safeguards are real and that someone checked. (More on secure ballot counting.)
Voter ID, done right
Nevadans approved Question 7 in 2024 with about 73% of the vote, and it’s back on the ballot this November. If it passes, the Secretary of State’s office will do much of the work of making it fair. Technology can help here. Voters should be able to check their registration and ID requirements online, and there should be phone and in-person options for anyone who needs them.
Seniors, students, rural residents, and voters with disabilities should hear about the rules early. No lawful voter should learn the rules for the first time while standing at a polling place.
Results, Not Noise
The best election technology rarely draws attention to itself. It checks you in correctly, preserves your paper ballot, and gives auditors the evidence they need. That’s the standard I’ll hold every system to.
I’ve put my plans in writing and taken the fight for clean voter rolls to federal court. Is your candidate for Nevada Secretary of State fighting this hard to protect your vote? If not, it’s time to take a closer look.
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I’m not asking you to trust a party on any of this. I’m asking you to hold the office accountable for solving real problems. That’s the job, and I intend to do it.
— Brad Lee Barnhill
Independent American Party of Nevada Candidate for Nevada Secretary of State
#YourIndependentVoice — Results, Not Noise
