FLIPPABLE: Bryce Bennett for MT Sec. of State
Bryce Bennett is a voting rights leader, fifth generation Montanan, and state senator. He has dedicated his career to ensuring all Montana voters have their voice heard on Election Day.
Bryce’s mom’s family first arrived in Montana from Scotland in the late 1800’s to pursue a better life. They found that in Conrad, Montana where Mary and Donald Graham established the Graham sheep ranch, which Bryce’s family owned for over a century. About the same time in Westby, Montana, Bryce’s dad’s family was establishing the family farm they still own today.
Bryce was born in Billings and spent his early years in Hysham. As a student, he registered hundreds of Montanans of all political stripes to vote at high schools, senior centers, and county fairs.
As a legislator Bryce worked with Republicans and Democrats to pass keystone good government bills that made our state more efficient and ensured Montana voters’ voices are heard and their votes are counted.
Bryce negotiated the passage of the nation’s leading campaign finance law to keep dark money out of our elections. Now, every dollar spent in our elections must be disclosed so the people of Montana know who is trying to influence our votes. The Montana Ambassadors, a group of business leaders from across Montana, named Bryce their ‘Legislator of the Year’ for his effective work to ensure our elections are always accountable to the people—not out-of-state special interests.
In the Montana State Legislature, Bryce ended an elections law that was forcing some rural voters to travel hundreds of miles to return their ballot, and he stopped politicians from being able to bring their partisan politics into polling places.
Bryce cut down on government bureaucracy and wasteful spending by streamlining the voter registration process. Now, Montanans can register and get their ballot in the mail with half the paperwork. He also worked with county clerks around the state to coordinate election dates and procedures so the state spends less money and the process is more transparent to voters.
He banned state ethics officers from doing private business on taxpayer time and stopped legislators from being able to hide their ethics complaints from the public.
Bryce forged the first-of-its-kind Montana Privacy Caucus by bringing together Republican and Democratic legislators worried about the reach of government and big corporations into our personal lives. Together, the caucus has passed numerous bills to protect Montanans’ private data.
Bryce graduated from the University of Montana with a Communication Studies degree and tries to make it to every Griz game he can.
https://www.bennettformontana.com
