In this episode of Why We Vote, CannCon and Ashe in America are joined by Colonel Shawn Smith for a powerful and sobering conversation about the systemic breakdown of election integrity in the United States. Colonel Smith lays out how key security measures, chain of custody, physical ballot controls, machine audits, and software transparency, have been steadily abandoned across counties and states. He warns that elections are now untrustworthy by design, not by accident.

Drawing from real-world examples and battlefield-tested leadership, Colonel Smith urges Americans to reject the comforting illusion that someone else is fixing the problem. Instead, he calls for civic courage and mass local engagement, arguing that only organized citizens can restore trust in the vote. The discussion dismantles the myth of risk-limiting audits, challenges the blind faith in state institutions, and highlights how fear and apathy have paralyzed action in the face of obvious fraud.

Blunt, urgent, and deeply motivating, this episode issues a clear call: get involved now, or surrender your voice forever.