Nevada’s next Secretary of State needs to deliver results — not manage the status quo, and not chase headlines for the wrong reasons.  I’m Brad Lee Barnhill, and I’m running as your independent voice for Secretary of State because Nevada deserves better than politics as usual on either side.

I bring 20 years as a Nevada civil litigation paralegal and 20 years as a computer systems analyst — courtroom-tested legal precision paired with real technical oversight. No other candidate in this race matches that combination, and this office needs both (more on why that dual background matters here).

A Ready-to-Go Plan for Voter ID

The Secretary of State’s office gets six bill draft requests (BDRs) each legislative session — a real, limited tool for shaping law. My first priority is implementation legislation that’s ready the moment Question 7 (Voter ID) passes this November and amends the Nevada Constitution. Voters already backed it by a wide margin in 2024; this is the second required vote. As Secretary of State, I’ll ensure a clean, efficient rollout — photo ID for in-person voting, Free ID for those who can’t afford it, and real verification for mail ballots — protecting the process while keeping access straightforward for lawful voters.

I’ve gone into the practical implementation questions in greater detail in Voter ID Is Coming: Let’s Talk About Making It Actually Work for People, including how the state could address identification access, cost, provisional ballots, rural access, and other implementation concerns.

For more detail on what the office can do using its existing administrative authority, see What an Independent Secretary of State Can Accomplish Under a Democratic-Controlled Legislature.

The earlier proposal that started this discussion is Declare Your Independence from Partisan Politics: Nevada Voter ID Plan.

Cutting the Commerce Tax

My second BDR targets repeal of the Commerce Tax, a gross-receipts tax on any business with more than $4 million in Nevada revenue. It’s become an unnecessary drag: new and growing companies feel it immediately, established firms have absorbed rising costs, and it undercuts the one advantage Nevada holds over every income-tax state. Legislative action is required to fix it, and the Secretary of State’s office — as Nevada’s chief business-filing authority — is the right office to lead that charge and keep Nevada open for business.

Closing Nevada’s Privacy Gap

Nevada is also losing ground on business privacy. Wyoming keeps member and manager names off public filings entirely. Colorado offers strong formation privacy protections. Nevada still requires managers or managing members to appear on the public annual list. Companies that value confidentiality are choosing to form elsewhere. I’ll use this office’s existing authority — and remaining BDRs if needed — to close that gap and stop the outflow of business formations to our competitor states.

Overseeing the ORION Migration

The conversion from SilverFlume to ORION is happening right now. Phase 1 (UCC filings) launched in December 2025. Phase 2 — full business licensing, trademarks, and notary services — is scheduled for this summer, with planned downtime and new forms. Large government IT replacements always carry risk: data integrity, user training, vendor performance, and edge-case failures. Twenty years of systems analysis experience means I know how to supervise a migration like this, hold vendors accountable, and protect the data that businesses and voters rely on. No other candidate brings that hands-on technical depth to this office.

Why This Race Matters — to Every Nevadan

If you’re a Republican who cares about election integrity but can’t get behind another cycle of conspiracy theories and lost credibility instead of results — I’m not asking you to abandon your principles. I’m asking you to back someone who will actually get the job done.

Accurate voter registration is another part of the equation. See Nevada’s Voter Rolls Deserve More Than Slogans: Here’s How I’d Clean Them Up for the specific approach I’ve outlined for reviewing voter-registration anomalies.

If you’re independent, non-partisan, or simply tired of watching both parties treat this office as a political prize instead of public service — I am your candidate.

Four of ten registered voters in Nevada are independent.  Nevada’s largest voting bloc isn’t Republican or Democrat. It’s us.

Elections administration, business filings, notary, securities, and the technology that runs them all demand someone who understands both the law and the systems. I’m ready to use the six BDRs strategically, fix the operational issues under the Secretary of State’s direct control, and make Nevada the clearest, most competitive, and most trusted place to vote and do business.

See who else is on the ticket: the full 2026 IAP Nevada slate.

Learn more about Brad Lee Barnhill’s background and experience. Make a difference! Join the Campaign!

See more policy position outlines cooked up by Brad Lee Barnhill, #YourIndependentVoice for Nevada Secretary of State.

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I’m not asking you to trust a party on any of this — I’m not part of one.

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
Candidate for Nevada Secretary of State
#YourIndependentVoice — Results, Not Noise