Brad Johnson serves the people of Montana as their Secretary of State. He’s committed to reaching across party lines to get the job done. He brings real experience in the real world to the office of Secretary of State.

Before being elected Secretary of State in 2004, Brad was a small businessman in Bozeman, Montana, where he owned an auto-parts store. He also worked for RightNow Technologies, one of the most impressive success stories of Montana’s modern economy.

Even with tourism and technology businesses bringing new jobs to Montana, agriculture remains the heart of our economy. Brad’s ties to that industry run deep. He has a master’s degree in Agriculture, has worked as an ag extension agent, and worked for both the American Quarter Horse Association and the American Simmental Association.

In the eighties Brad served as District Director for Montana’s former Congressman Ron Marlenee. He’s also served on the Montana Republican Party’s executive board, volunteered for President Richard Nixon’s campaigns in the seventies, and was a member of the Teen Age Republicans.

Today, Brad is the only Republican elected to statewide office in Montana’s government. He serves as a voice for common sense conservative principles on the state land board and in state government.

But his work in the Secretary of State’s office reaches across party lines. Brad hired a former elected Democrat to be his Elections Deputy, helping to ensure clean and fair elections in Montana by giving both parties representation. He worked with Attorney General Mike McGrath, a Democrat, to preserve and improve Montana’s intiative process.

Brad’s vision is to move the Secretary of State’s office into the 21st century, and significant steps are already being taken. This year, for the first time ever, candidates can file for office online. In addition, Administrative Rules and record keeping functions of the office are becoming increasingly electronic.

In addition to elections, the Secretary of State’s office also serves Montana’s business community. Brad has an excellent record of improving efficiency and reducing costs in those services. Moving to online annual reporting has saved the fee-paying businesses of Montana over $100,000. And more online services are coming soon.

Brad has been a champion of open government. When he maintained a constituency fund, it was the most fully disclosed of any statewide elected official. And Brad was the first state level elected official in Montana — some say in the nation — to post his work schedule online.

Brad Johnson’s vision for a more modern, bipartisan, efficient and effective Secretary of State’s office has served Montana well for the past three years. Will you help keep that progress going? Please vote to re-elect Brad Johnson as Montana’s Secretary of State.