A lifelong resident of Indianapolis, Bartlett is a retired tool-and-die maker for the Rolls-Royce Corporation, where he worked for 42 years.

He is a graduate of Arsenal Technical High School and Martin University. He also attended Ivy Tech.

Bartlett started his political career as a precinct committeeman and then went on to serve as a member of the mayor's Neighborhood Advisory Council. He then served on the Judicial Nominations Commission under Governor Frank O'Bannon and was appointed to the Public Compensation Advisory Commission by former Indiana House Speaker B. Patrick Bauer (D-South Bend). He has also been appointed to the governor's Commission on Supply Diversity.

He is the parliamentarian of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus and currently serves on the following Indiana House standing committees- Employment, Labor and Pensions; Agriculture and Rural Development; and Government and Regulatory Reform.

Bartlett is an advisory board member of the Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame and established the annual Indiana Military Veterans Legislative Day that is held at the Statehouse each January.

Outside of his legislative responsibilities, Bartlett formerly served as chair of the board of trustees of Martin University. He served as president of the Indianapolis Chapter of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and is a past president of the Devington Community Development Corporation. He is a founding member of the Sheridan Heights Association for Neighborhood Enhancement, a past member of the NAACP Executive Committee, and a past chair of the Civil Rights Council for United Auto Workers Region 3.

Bartlett frequently holds "Kitchen Table Conversations" in his community. These informal gatherings serve as an opportunity for community members to come together in small groups to learn about what Bartlett is working on in the Statehouse, ask questions and present issues they care about.