# Why We Vote Ep. 177: Steven Richer Smackdown and the Election Truth Alliance Breakdown

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/badlands-media-6674661/why-we-vote-ep-177-steven-richer-smackdown-and-the-election-truth-alliance-breakdown
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/badlands-media-6674661/why-we-vote-ep-177-steven-richer-smackdown-and-the-election-truth-alliance-breakdown.md
Podcast: [Badlands Media](https://stenobird.com/podcast/badlands-media-6674661)
Published: 2026-06-17T03:59:07+00:00
Episode link: https://badlandsmedia.podbean.com/e/why-we-vote-ep-177-steven-richer-smackdown-and-the-election-truth-alliance-breakdown/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/tvtchmrvuvc7c4ef/Why_We_Vote_ep_177_1_8am9e.mp3
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Duration seconds: 5138

## Resource

CannCon and Ashe in America take apart a Deseret News profile that positions Steven Richer, the former Maricopa County recorder behind the infamous "Drawer 3" ballot scandal, as the trusted Republican voice on why California's elections are secure. They walk through his claims about audits, fraud detection, and mail-in deadlines, pointing out that the very system he defends prioritizes ballot access over ballot accuracy. A philosophy clip on the structural impossibility of proving election fraud sparks a deeper conversation about why the design of the system, not any single data point, is the real evidence of intent. The bulk of the episode is dedicated to a detailed reaction to an interview with Nathan Taylor, cofounder of the Election Truth Alliance, where CannCon and Ashe scrutinize his heat map methodology comparing US elections to Russian vote-rigging patterns, question his claimed cybersecurity credentials, and point out that the interviewer never asked a single hard question. They close by noting that despite years of public invitations, groups like ETA still refuse to appear on the show, a pattern they argue reveals selective, partisan motives rather than genuine election truth seeking.

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## Transcript

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