Todd Sanders (Host):
Welcome back to the podcast. We are incredibly honored to have Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer here with us today to talk about all things elections, but everything else because he's truly a Renaissance man. So, thank you for joining us.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Oh, well, thank you for having me. It's an honor for me. Actually, what is the preferred nomenclature these days? Because I think in the time that I've been in the Valley, it's changed. So, what is the shorthand lingo for the organization now?
Todd Sanders (Host):
Greater Phoenix Chamber.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
It's Greater Phoenix Chamber. Okay.
Todd Sanders (Host):
There you go. You got it. You nailed it. But thank you for being here. I know you're busy. You're obviously gearing up for-
Stephen Richer (Guest):
'Tis the season.
Todd Sanders (Host):
... a small election. I think everybody probably knows you from something or from the news or newspapers, but maybe tell us a little bit about yourself and something that we wouldn't find on a bio or a resume that we would find interesting.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Oh gosh. I'm a major sports enthusiast. I'm a major fantasy book enthusiast. I like writing. Let's try and think. Word puzzles. What else? I like musicals a lot. In fact, I can sing almost every single Disney song from memorization.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Really?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Okay. Now, that's huge. In our house that would go a long way.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. If your girl's like The Little Mermaid or something like that, then sign me up.
Todd Sanders (Host):
You're the man.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
And she was a redhead, so-
Todd Sanders (Host):
I mean, there is that.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
... that's why I chose that one in particular.
Todd Sanders (Host):
From Arizona?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Not from Arizona.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Okay.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Was born in Utah. Lived in New Orleans, Chicago twice, DC twice, Mexico. Did a stop in New York real quickly, but family moved down to Arizona. Wife and I met in Chicago. She's from Oregon. We knew we wanted to get back to the west eventually. Started visiting here more frequently. Moved to Arizona, then she moved a few years later. And it's been amazing.
We're huge Arizona evangelists, in part because neither of us was born here, but in short time we felt like we were so woven into the Arizona fabric and it's just an incredibly welcoming place. And I think of a place like Louisiana where my mom's from, and that's a place where it's sort of like, well, what did your father's father's father do in Louisiana? Before you get your real chops here. Arizona is the exact opposite. And I'm very grateful for that.
Todd Sanders (Host):
It's a great place to be new.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
It's a great place to be new.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Attorney by trade?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Attorney, business person, but attorney. Yeah, I was doing law before jumping into this office. I was at Steptoe and Johnson's, DC-based firm, and then out here I was with Lewis Roca, which is a fantastic firm, which actually just underwent a merger. And so, they are getting bigger and becoming an Am Law 100 firm. And so, congratulations to them. And I know that, I think Ken Van Winkle is involved with the Greater Phoenix Chamber and does some stuff with you. And so, good guy, both of them, great firms, have only positive things to say.
And we have an undersized legal community for the size of Phoenix metro area, just because we have fewer Fortune 500 legacy companies that are here. But the legal community is growing, and so, I was pleased to see that Lewis Roca is now going to be part of a much bigger operation.
Todd Sanders (Host):
And obviously, like I said, a Renaissance man. Why the law? What drew you into the law?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. I went to a lot of school. I went to grad school. I went to law school. Dad was a lawyer. And I suppose I fell victim a little bit to what they joke about online where it's like, "If you're a social science major in college and don't quite have your life figured out yet, then go to law school." And so, went to the University of Chicago, actually again for law school. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, that's on me. Chicago's rigorous place, not the warmest, cuddliest place, but great experience. Met my wife there. And so, will forever be grateful.
Todd Sanders (Host):
That's right. Well, and we're glad that after all of those cities, you decided that Phoenix was the place you wanted to be.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. Lived downtown for my first few years here. And then we built a home at the very base of South Mountain and we love that community and it's a growing community. It sort of reflects just the fast-changing environment that is Phoenix where it looks completely different than what it looked like 10 years ago.
Todd Sanders (Host):
You bet. Absolutely. Huge changes. So, you have your family, an ongoing good, successful legal career, and you said, "Hey, why don't I go where the big bucks are and go into public service?" What was that all about?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. I'd been involved in politics my whole life, politics curious. I'd done a stint at American Enterprise Institute and Cato Institute, which are conservative leaning think tanks in Washington DC. So, I love policy. I loved the competition of ideas.
And here in Arizona, I'd been involved in a few Republican campaigns. I worked on, for instance, the 2018 Martha McSally campaign. And I was interested. And at that time, the office was held by my predecessor, Adrian Fontes. And he had been clashing with the Republican Party, and it was still a big thing for the Republican Party to lose a countywide seat.
Todd Sanders (Host):
That had been held for a long time.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. Because in 2016, Maricopa County was a Republican county.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Correct.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
And so, the county party lost sheriff and county recorder at that point. And I think that was a little bit of a wake-up call. And so, county party wanted to take those back. Jon Lines was the state party chairman at that time. He and I were close.
And so, this office was something that combined a bunch of things I liked, which was management because you're running an office. The law, in that you're following the law and reading that law and applying it. And then also, politics, in that you run for the office and some of the subject matter is inherently political. And I thought it would be a good place to test the waters, and it was a good place, but for maybe different reasons than I originally anticipated.
Todd Sanders (Host):
You caught the car.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah.
Todd Sanders (Host):
So, what I think what was interesting for me watching that, it was how you both handled that transition and how it wasn't an acrimonious type of transition, but I think it was where you worked together to make sure that things were done right.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. No.
Todd Sanders (Host):
And your obviously credentials are very conservative and Republican, and you had a Democrat there, but you still managed to do it in a way that was interesting for me.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. And really, the credit goes to Adrian primarily on that one, just because I had won that race and it's harder to be gracious when you lose than when you win. And so, credit to Adrian for opening up the office, for making himself available, and for making the transition smooth.
And politics works in funny ways, or God works in funny ways, because we weren't best of friends in 2019 or in most of 2020. And two years later, I found myself where I was working pretty frequently with Adrian Fontes, and we get along great now and he's somebody I consider a friend and I hope he would say the same about me. And it's nice now, because we're both working towards the same ends and most of it's not political, where we might have different policy prescriptions for different things and maybe we view the world differently, but for the most part we're just working together nicely.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Kind of a rarity these days, isn't it?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Maybe so. And that is one of the good things about being in an administrative office rather than a voting office, so to speak, is that most of what administrative offices do isn't political on a daily basis. It's just attending to nuts and bolts, and so on. All that stuff, we realize we're on, quote, "the same team."
Todd Sanders (Host):
You bet. And I think, thinking about when Helen Purcell was in the office and certainly there for a long time, kind of a little bit sleepy and they [inaudible 00:07:58] the elections and that was it. Maybe there was a little news blurb. That's changed. So, maybe, I think for folks who trying to understand the role of the recorder versus for instance, secretary of state, talk to us about the role of the recorder and why it's become a national story. I mean, you were just on 60 Minutes.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. So, in Arizona, elections are administered at the county level, and we have 15 counties. And in Maricopa County, it is divided between the board of supervisors and the recorder. Now, the board of supervisors had previously ceded over its election administration responsibilities to the recorder. So, when Helen, who's sort of the godfather of elections in Maricopa County was in office, everything was under the recorder. Then in 2019 the board got involved. And really, that sharing of responsibilities is reflected in the other 14 counties. So, in all 15 counties, elections are administered by some combination of the board of supervisors and the recorder.
And in Maricopa County, the way that shakes out is I'm responsible for early voting and for voter registration and the board's responsible for in-person voting and for tabulation. But we do a lot of stuff together. We work closely together. I have great respect for all five of the board of supervisors, and it's been a good partnership, but that's ultimately where the authority rests. And that's largely delineated by state statute, but we've shifted a few things.
And then, the secretary of state, while he doesn't administer the elections, he plays an important role because he's sort of the chief regulatory authority and he's responsible for writing what's called the Elections Procedures Manual, which is the roadmap for election officials to follow state statute because elections are largely driven by state law. And for anyone who's spent time with state law, as you have, it's not always written in the most straightforward, applicable manner.
Todd Sanders (Host):
It's probably because I was writing some of that stuff.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Well. And so, the Elections Procedures Manual digest that and translate it into a little bit more of an actionable election agenda.
Todd Sanders (Host):
So, so far, if you're listening to this, you're thinking, "All right, that's not the stuff of a 60 Minutes interview." What's changed?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
What's changed is that election administration is front-and-center in the United States and Arizona factors into that conversation maybe more than any other state in the country. I think that's largely the result of our changing political dynamic, our battleground nature, the fact that Maricopa County is such a large county, we're the second-largest voting jurisdiction in the United States with 4.6 million people, and about 2.6 million registered voters. And of the 10 largest voting jurisdictions we're the only one that's very politically competitive. And so, I think a lot of eyes are on Maricopa County.
And then, just given some of the political characters and some of the just history of the last four years has made it a front-and-center issue here in Arizona. And in fact, given that you're a state legislature watcher, I think over the last three years, no subject has had more in bills introduced regarding the subject than has election administration.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Absolutely. And I think even when you talk to people who are well versed on elections and feel comfortable with them, there seems to be a lot more questions about our elections. Maybe, what are the top three misconceptions about the elections?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Especially following the 2020 election, the general election, we had a lot of questions about the tabulation of ballots. And so, Arizona does use tabulation equipment. Now, it's important to note that we have 100% paper ballots that are marked by hand, but then we read them through tabulators. And those tabulators are just the same as when you and I took standardized tests when we were in high school. You fill in the oval and then it's read through the tabulator. And we do that because in Maricopa County, for instance, the average ballot has about 80 contests on it. We have 2 million voters, approximately, for an election. So, that's 160 million ovals that have to be counted and have to be counted quickly and accurately.
But we test tabulation equipment. And so, a lot of post-2020 stuff was, did the tabulators read the ballots correctly? Did they flip votes? Were they hacked? And so, it's important to note that tests are done both before and after, that the political parties do a hand count audit of a statistically significant randomized batches of ballots. So, they make sure that the machine's read the ballots correctly. The equipment is never connected to the internet. And so, just sharing information like that, that I think prior to 2020 probably wasn't known by more than just a handful of people in terms of how that works. But hopefully, hearing some of that gives people some answers to their questions regarding tabulation.
Some other stuff. Signature verification, mail voting generally, just because it's so big here in Arizona, lots of mail voting questions. "What is ballot harvesting?" Is one that we got a lot, especially when there was a movie called 2000 Mules that was out. And so, it's moved around a little bit, but those are some of the frequent flyers.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Well, and I think what was interesting about, for instance, the tabulation, I think the Senate contracted with an organization to do a recount, and they actually, it turns out they found votes that were more for President Trump. So, I expected they thought it would go the other way.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Oh, they said that Biden actually received more.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Correct. Yes.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. Some later information came out that their hand count wasn't maybe administered in the most professional manner. And so, I wouldn't put much stock in that, but we should have confidence in 2020 election because of the post-election tests, because of the hand count audit done by the political parties. So, the Republican Party sitting together with the Democratic Party after the 2020 election, hand counted 47,000 votes.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Hand counted?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Hand counted. And then, those matched 100% with the machine count. So, when I talk about election administration, it's never just, "Trust us because we're nice guys, or because we're bipartisan, or because we have cameras that you can watch." Trust us because every single thing is tested after the fact, or reconciled after the fact, such that you never just say, "Let's turn on the machines and hope for the best."
Todd Sanders (Host):
"Let's hope it all works out."
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah.
Todd Sanders (Host):
So, the other thing that I hear a lot is, or the question I hear is, "Well, are they connected to the internet? Is there a way to hack these machines?"
Stephen Richer (Guest):
So, again, one of the reasons why we have paper ballots is not because we just like using paper for the heck of it. Although, my family's in the mining industry, so you probably can guess where my sympathies lie, which is with industry rather than environmentalism, but we won't get off on that-
Todd Sanders (Host):
We won't go that way.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
No. But the reason why paper is good is because you can't hack paper. And so, even if we did accept that machines connected to the internet, or even if we did accept that Russia was trying to hack our systems, we always have an auditable, un-hackable paper trail that we can go back to and we can verify afterwards. And so, that's what really gives me confidence.
But then, if you come down to our facility, you'll see that all the tabulation equipment has exposed wiring that just runs to the results server. Doesn't run to any external circuit. We produce log files after the election to show that it doesn't connect to any internet connected equipment. In fact, when we want to produce results, when it's time to share with the public the results of the election, those are downloaded onto a thumb drive, then taken out of the tabulation room and taken to a computer that actually connects to the internet, because in the tabulation center it's completely walled off from the internet.
Todd Sanders (Host):
It's different. Okay, understood. And yet, there's still a lot of people that are-
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Sure.
Todd Sanders (Host):
And I think, legitimately, some people really still believe that there are issues with the election. How do we move away from that?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
I don't know. I think that's the million-dollar question, and I haven't figured it out. I will say to my credit, I've worked really hard on it and I've tried a lot of different things, but I'm not so naive as to think that everyone's perfectly content now.
And I guess, what I would just say to your listeners is that if you have a question, we would love to be a resource. And so, please contact my office, the recorder's office, and give us a chance. And there's no prejudice in terms of what you may think or if you see something on the internet that you think looks funky, just give us a chance, because that's really all I can offer. For people who that's a matter of faith now and they're not going to change how they think about that, then God bless them. But for people who just need more information, then we want to be a resource to those people.
Todd Sanders (Host):
And I know you've had opportunities for folks to go down and visit the election center and see for themselves how this works and to ask questions.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yes. And will be reopening tours in December after the canvas period is done, and if that's something that anyone is interested in. I've actually seen some aha moments of some of the people that have visited our facility, and if nothing else, that it humanizes the process. You see some of the people involved. You see some of the equipment. You see that it's not just this great black curtain and then the magician's doing something back there, mixing bottles, and that's how we get the results. And so, I've seen some aha moments and that's very gratifying.
But when we talk about doing a lot of those and moving a lot of people through our facility, again, we're in a very blessed county that continues to grow by whatever it is ... You probably have the numbers, but 100 people every day move to Maricopa County?
Todd Sanders (Host):
Thankfully, we are in the positive category.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. Oh, huge testament and something I celebrate is that people want to move here. And I think nothing speaks to our success so much as the fact that people are voting with their feet, moving their businesses here, moving their families here. But that also means we have 4.6 million people and no, we haven't brought all of them through our tabulation facility.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Right. Right. Well, let's pivot a little bit. Primaries, give us your sense. It seemed like they went off relatively successfully.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
There's always some challenges, but I thought the board did absolutely fantastic with its in-person component. I thought our voter rolls were in better shape than they've ever been in terms of voter list maintenance has been a really high priority for me. Mail voting went off smoothly.
And so, it's always try to anticipate as much as you can and then hope for the best, and then have contingencies in play. And then, of course, we're now on the eve of the November 5th general election, and it's very possible that the eyes of the entire world will be on Arizona come 8:00 PM Tuesday, November 5th.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Absolutely. So, pivoting to the general, what changes, if any, are you looking to make or what can we expect as we go to the polls on that day?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
So, the vast majority of Arizonans will probably participate through early ballot in some capacity. Now, for probably about half of people, that will mean sending it back through the USPS. So, getting it through USPS and sending it back through USPS. For others, I'll mean getting it through USPS and then dropping it off at a voting location, dropping it off at a drop box, dropping it off at our central facility. And then, there will be some people who vote in person early. And then, about 15% of people will vote in person on election day. And all of those are-
Todd Sanders (Host):
Just 15%?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Just 15%. Yeah.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Okay.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
But we'll get a lot of people who will drop off their early ballot on election day. So, a lot of people will go to the polls on election day.
If recent trends hold, the first results that will be produced at 8:00 PM will probably constitute about 60 to 70% of the total eventual results, and they will skew a little more blue, by which I mean, Democratic, than the final results will be. And that's just because in recent years, it's been Democrats who have been especially pushing people to get their early ballots back earlier, and Republicans who have been showing up on election day. And so, that's-
Todd Sanders (Host):
And that's a switch from our history, correct?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
That's a switch. And so, if you remember in 2018, Martha McSally, I remember that, and Steve Gaynor, who was running for secretary of state, were ahead on election night. And then, eventually, Senator Sinema, or now senator, caught up, so to speak, and Katie Hobbs our now governor, caught up with Steve Gaynor for secretary of state.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Correct.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
But then if you go to 2020, for instance, I was well behind Adrian with the first results. I'm a Republican and he's a Democrat.
Todd Sanders (Host):
I think he mentioned that.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
But then, I won in a landslide victory. And President Trump very nearly caught up with now President Biden in that 2020 election. And so, I do think it will mirror that because that's what 2022 looked like as well.
Now, some of the Republican conversation has been changing a little bit. I think Republicans are going to be pushing again, "Get your ballot back earlier." Because they just want to bank votes. But I still think it will conform to that pattern we've seen the last two elections.
Todd Sanders (Host):
So, what your thoughts, we're hearing more and more ... Obviously, we have a lot of independents here. You're hearing more about No Labels. Thoughts on that?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. No Labels, just support whatever they're trying to do, trying to be part of the civic conversation. It confused a lot of people here in Arizona. No Labels obtained political party recognition by submitting the requisite number of signatures at both the county level and the state level. So, they were a recognized political party for this year. However, they said, "We only exist for the purpose of running a presidential candidate." Then after talking with a bunch of people, including our Senator Sinema, they said, "We're not going to run anyone." So, we have some people who registered as No Labels, in Maricopa County we have about 20,000 people who-
Todd Sanders (Host):
Okay. So, not a small number? I mean, 20,000 people.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. I mean, small as a percentage, but not small as a raw number.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Yeah.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
And they did not have anything on their primary ballot. So, they just had a blank primary ballot, because the No Labels party primary had no contested seats because they had no candidates, but they will not have a candidate for the general election either because they declined to run that.
But I do think that we are going to see more and more new parties. So, the Green Party has obtained recognition again. I know that the Forward Party, which is the Andrew Yang Christie Todd Whitman project, I think is going to seek recognition in 2025. And oh, that's just part of this again, changing political dynamic that does reflect, as you said, that we have approximately one third of our voters in Arizona are party not declared or independent.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Interesting to watch how that's evolved over time.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yes. And then, the other wild card that's on the table is are we going to change how our elections are done? And that's something that's going to be on the ballot this November.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Prop 140, I believe.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Prop 140. And then there's sort of a companion proposition where you can vote against it, which is going to be confusing for Arizona voters, unfortunately. But what that tries to do is it would move it to our municipal system where all candidates are on the same primary ballot, where it doesn't designate you as a Republican or a Democrat, you're just on the ballot. And every single voter, whether you're a Republican, Democrat, independent, or otherwise, gets the same ballot and then you vote. And then, either the top two, or top four, or top five advance.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Any thoughts on it?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
I think that we are not having a healthy political conversation right now. I think that this potentially could help. I also think of my own experience in South Mountain. I live in a very Democratic district, South Phoenix, and the real vote for who represents me in the state legislature and who represents me in the Congress is in the Democratic primary.
Now, I can't vote in the Democratic primary because I'm a registered Republican, but so for instance, this closely contested race between Yassamin Ansari and Raquel Teran, and that was something that that was going to determine the winner, and I wasn't able to participate in that. And I just think that it also reflects a little bit how people are thinking of politics. And so, again, I think that we should be having a healthier political conversation. And while I think that is rooted in something more fundamental that is going on in society, structural changes are one place that you can look.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Well, and I think you bring up a good point. I mean, the political divide seems to be getting wider. And now it's becoming consumer items, like we talked about, like electric cars versus gas cars. Everything seems to have a label now. Is there a way back? Is this a pendulum? Are we going to keep going this way? What are your thoughts? I mean, you're seeing it firsthand.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
I do think there's a level of fatigue, but I'm a Bud Light drinker and Bud Light has a great presence here.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Yes, that's right.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
And Hensley is a great company.
Todd Sanders (Host):
They are.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
That's their distributor here in Arizona. And I want to drink my Bud Light without necessarily having a conversation about every political topic under the sun. And I would imagine most Americans feel the same way.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Do you think there is some fatigues heading in and perhaps this is a pendulum that will swing back the other way?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Maybe that's just-
Todd Sanders (Host):
Wishful thinking.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
... naive optimism. But political scientists that study this do note a higher level of partisanship right now. And I think it's especially acute here in Arizona, just because again, we're a battleground state. You can't watch a Diamondbacks game without seeing 20 bazillion political advertisements, which will tell you why somebody is simultaneously the best person in the world and the worst person in the world. And so, we're primed to be emotional and hostile right now in Arizona, and I don't think that's who we are as just naturally occurring species.
Todd Sanders (Host):
I agree. It's funny if you just talk to people and get to know them on a personal level, it's hard to just hate them for no reason.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Right. Right. I mean, unless they're Dodgers fans.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Well, that's different. Yeah, I'm sure Derek would agree with you on that one. So, misinformation, another one. And clearly, there are nation states outside of the country that are trying to influence the election. We heard that in DC last week that Iran and Russia are very engaged, but certainly it's happening here too. How do we fight that? It seems like a huge task.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
So, the foreign actors one is outside of my scope of knowledge a bit, but Senator Kelly, our junior senator from the state of Arizona, spoke about that last week. And it's a passion project of his. But this, I think, is the issue of our time, and it's just been made more challenging by the development of social media and how we communicate.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Well, it's almost like you're trying to validate your belief system. And whatever facts you come across, the ones that seem to validate that are the ones you want to believe.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah.
Todd Sanders (Host):
And this is not one political party or another.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
No, it is not.
Todd Sanders (Host):
It seems to be pervasive in our culture.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
And the cognitive studies now show that we human beings are engineered such that we filter information to support our worldviews, to support our tribe. And that was probably some sort of evolutionarily necessary thing. But now we realize that that's not always the healthiest for a pluralistic community that needs to have differing opinions but also needs to share some facts.
Todd Sanders (Host):
You bet. So, clearly it's easy to fall into these traps. And you read a certain writer or a certain newspaper that seem to agree with you. How do you fight that personally? I mean, do you read a range of media sources? Do you look for that?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. I think source still matters, and the quality of the source is still fairly similar to what it was 20 years ago. I think that established news media has fumbled and dropped the ball occasionally. But I still think that The Wall Street Journal, The Arizona Republic, The New York Times, The National Review, do a pretty solid job of being real journalists and fact-checking. Again, they have fumbled and that is part of the reason why we have this crisis.
So, I think, go to responsible companies, go to responsible publications, go to responsible journalists. And then yeah, I would say try to read a breadth of things and try to dig in, and then try to identify proxies who you know have an interest in the truth. Because the reality is, is most people work during the day, attend to family matters at night, and then hopefully get in a little sports or Netflix at late night, and they don't have time to research all of this.
And so, I think we do need more trusted voices. And I think it's one of the reasons why I'm proud that ASU's journalism school is named after Cronkite, because I think that was somebody that Arizonans and the rest of the country could say, "You know what? He might not have gotten it right every single time, but that was somebody who approached it with good faith and tried to get a true, factual analysis." And that was an important proxy for us to have.
Todd Sanders (Host):
I had the opportunity to hear Jamie Dimon speak, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Oh, yeah. The small bank.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Small bank.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah.
Todd Sanders (Host):
But he talked about this and one of the things that he talked about was that you're looking at, for instance, columnists or even the publications that tend to lean the opposite way that you do, and he actually makes sure that he also consumes that as well, to make sure that it's not just essentially ... You're obviously rooted in business, so The Wall Street Journal would seem to be where you might feel comfortable, but Washington Post probably wouldn't be along those same ideological lines. But is that something that you try and do?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
I try to read a lot, just generally. I'm going to guess that I don't consume as much as Mr. Dimon, who just has to be aware of so many things. But I think generally speaking, consuming a lot of ... Consume your vegetables, consume your proteins, and I think that social media stuff has a place, but let it direct you to vegetables and proteins and not just the easy clickbait. That's the sugars.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Stay away from the dessert.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. And if you saw my actual diet, you would be like, "Really, you're preaching this?" But I would say my news diet does have a bunch of vegetables and proteins, and I think that's the way to go.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Absolutely. Well, I want to shift gears for one minute because you did something that I think is, I don't know how well-known it is, but I think it's incredibly impactful for people in their everyday lives, and that's the Title Alert system that you developed. I know when I heard about it, we signed up for it. And then you hear stories. So, talk a little bit about where that came from and how it works and how people can sign up.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
I'm proud of quite a few of the things that we've invented over the last four years. In fact, we just launched our new recording side website, that I think makes it a lot easier to record documents online and find documents online.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Which is great.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
But this Maricopa Title Alert does relate to recording of documents. And as soon as I took office, I started hearing more people concerned about deed fraud, title fraud. "I own a vacant piece of property and I don't go there very often. And all of a sudden I found that somebody fraudulently conveyed it away to an unsuspecting buyer and then that buyer sold it to somebody else. And then, when I visited it a year later, I found out that somebody's stuff had been moved in. And so, what do I do about that?" And there were some private companies that offered title, either insurance or title monitoring services, but we wanted to provide something that was free of charge that everyone could use.
So, what we created was Maricopa Title Alert. It's just titlealert.maricopa.gov. And what you can do is you can go onto our website and you can enter your name, the name of a trust, the name of an LLC, whatever you hold title to property in, you enter it into the box. And then, anytime that a document is recorded and one of those names is indexed, then we automatically email you or text you a link to the document. And what this does is it allows you to immediately take action. And so, if you see a document recorded that's improper, then you can immediately contact law enforcement.
So, just something that hopefully gives people peace of mind and then also allows them to take immediate action, because it's much easier to reverse on day one than it is on day 365.
Todd Sanders (Host):
And this does happen where people find out a year later that their-
Stephen Richer (Guest):
It does happen. And especially just given that we have a very fluid real property market here in Arizona ... I don't want to scare people and suggest that it's happening every single minute, but it happens. And when it does happen, it's a burden. And so, we want to make it less burdensome and we will also provide that peace of mind. It's in English and Spanish and it only takes like two minutes to fill out.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Well, and unlike most insurance, this is free.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
This is free. Yes. Exactly.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Free is good. Well, you mentioned other things you're proud of, as we're wrapping up, what are some of the other things that you're proud of as you look back on your time in office?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Enhanced ballot tracking features, individual voter dashboards. We rebuilt the voter registration system. We built a new election side website in addition to that recording side website. We developed new remote recording kiosks and expanded remote recording, such that we're about 91% of documents are now recorded remotely.
And then, we did a lot on the communications front, because we realized that though it was not what I stepped into office expecting, that communicating about this process was going to be hugely important to the Arizona conversation over these last four years. So, proud of all that. And then lastly, I'm proud that the team stuck together. A lot of people have been with me for the whole ride and it's been a heck of a ride. And I'm very grateful that, but also pretty proud about that.
Todd Sanders (Host):
You should be. It's been a lot of work. What's next?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
A new adventure, which I haven't been able to say this maybe ever in my 39 years, which is just that, I can do pretty much whatever the heck I want and with very few limitations. So, I am just having fun mulling ideas in my mind. I've obviously got the bug, but it's going to need to take a different form moving forward. So, if you ask me in about a month, I think I'll probably have a plan, but for the next three weeks it will be keep my head above water for this little thing called our election.
Todd Sanders (Host):
You've got a small event coming up.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
But I have a diverse set of interests and I'm excited to pursue maybe just something different, and it'll be fun. Unless the Diamondbacks say they need a balding 39-year-old pitcher who can still throw at about-
Todd Sanders (Host):
I mean-
Stephen Richer (Guest):
... probably about 70 miles per hour.
Todd Sanders (Host):
If there's a tailwind?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
If there's a need for that in the bullpen, then I accept.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Well, I'm sure Derek would be very interested to hear that.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yes.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Well, and I do hope that you stay in Arizona.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Oh, absolutely. Arizona's, like I said, it's been amazing to us. My family has a heavy machinery business here in Arizona. My wife, her professional career has really has been fantastic here in Arizona. And our friends are here and this is where we love ... Again, not to rag on Louisiana and New Orleans, but New Orleans is a city where when you ask about the glory days, they'll say, "When New Orleans was one of the crown jewels of the United States in the 19th century." And I think that Arizona is still a teenager that's sort of figuring out what it is, still growing. And I think that it's going to be fun to see what Arizona is 10 years from now, because I think we're going to be more of a economic powerhouse. We're going to develop. We're going to start flexing our cultural muscles too. And I just think that our best days in Arizona are still ahead of us if we figure out just a few things.
And quite frankly, you have a better finger on the pulse on those things as far as how to make sure we have water capacity, how to make sure we have road capacity, how to make sure we continue to make it an affordable place, how to make sure we keep it a good business climate. But if we can figure those things out, then I think that we're going to become sort of the next Texas, but hopefully cooler than Texas.
Todd Sanders (Host):
A better Texas.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
A better Texas.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Yeah, of course. Yeah.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
With less weird stuff.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Right. Right. We sent them Glenn Hamer. So, we're good.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Well, I can't think of a better way to end this. Thank you for coming, for your leadership, for everything you've done for our state and will continue to do. We're going to do a quick lightning round with you.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Okay.
Todd Sanders (Host):
So, since we are talking everything elections, what was your first election that you voted in?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
First ... 2004.
Todd Sanders (Host):
That was the first one you voted in?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
That was the first election, I was in-
Todd Sanders (Host):
Presidential?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah, exactly.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Okay. Was it momentous?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
I remember it was, because I just turned 18 and the Iraq war was happening, which was a big thing for an 18-year-old. I was on college campus, and so, that was a topic of discussion. That was when gay marriage was a really hot topic. And so, that felt like a significant election.
It's funny how politics works, sort of like what George W. Bush and Dick Cheney represented then versus what they represented now. And it's another one where I'm like, if I would've told myself then how this has changed, and so ... Yeah, so that was my first election.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Okay. Awesome. First job, what was your first job?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
First job was probably working landscaping and then working on a baseball field during the summer. But then also, my first 40-hour a week job was during the summers of high school. I was a C++ programmer and it's where I became a Diet Coke addict, because I was just going through and reviewing lines of code and it was so mind-numbingly boring that the only respite I had was to go up and refill my Diet Coke like every 15 minutes. And so, that's when I became completely addicted to Diet Coke.
Todd Sanders (Host):
There's a lot to unpack there. What did you learn besides the fact that you like Diet Coke?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
That I didn't want to be a computer programmer for the rest of my life. I'm sure there are many wonderful and much more interesting computer programming jobs. This was not one of them.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Well, it takes a special brand of person that can do that well. First concert?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
First concert would have been Dr. Dre in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Excellent. All right.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Like The Chronic time.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Okay.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
So, some of the lyrics are a bit profane, but if you want to find me outside of the very sanitary halls of the Chambers Podcast, then I'm happy to drop some of those on you.
Todd Sanders (Host):
All right. Awesome. And my staff wanted me to ask you what's been your favorite concert?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
It ranges. Ooh, favorite concert? I remember having a really great time at a Juvenile concert in 2004. We now go to all of the Taylor Swift concerts because ... And she keeps kicking them off here in Arizona.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Yes, we're lucky.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Which we love that. A concert that I got really pissed that I missed recently was when Blink 182 was here. That was just like, oh my gosh, that was the anthem for a little while. Yeah. I remember going to a Nellie concert was a really good one.
Todd Sanders (Host):
You've got a good repertoire.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. But the thing I don't do is, I don't do the Coachellas.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Oh yeah, the festivals.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Or the Burning Mans, because I am a ginger, and I'm allergic to too much stuff, and I get burnt. I can't be outside for that long. And the country music one that we have here in Arizona.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Yeah. Country Thunder. Yeah.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
It's like in the middle of just this dirt field. I'm like, I don't think I could-
Todd Sanders (Host):
It'd be bad.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
... survive for more than six hours out there.
Todd Sanders (Host):
So, you might be out a closet Swiftie then?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Not a closet.
Todd Sanders (Host):
You just love ... You're a full Swiftie?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Full on. Well, yeah, we are a Swiftie household. Can sing Taylor Swift songs to...
Todd Sanders (Host):
So, Taylor Swift and-
Stephen Richer (Guest):
You're on the phone with your girlfriend, she's upset.
She's going off about something that you said.
Because she doesn't get your humor like I do.
Todd Sanders (Host):
I mean, on that bombshell, I mean, I think we're going to end it here. It doesn't get any better. I mean, we got that-
Stephen Richer (Guest):
The Taylor Swift?
Todd Sanders (Host):
Yeah, we got that. And then, of course, your backup job pitching for the Diamondbacks.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Perfect. Well, thank you again. We appreciate having you here.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
For the record-
Todd Sanders (Host):
Yes?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
... Taylor Swift would not be my walkout song for the Diamondbacks.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Oh, what would it be?
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Yeah. I think it-
Todd Sanders (Host):
So, Derek will know when you get up there.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Kanye's All of the Lights. If you can still say Kanye, I'm Jewish, so I think I can say Kanye still, but something a little more hardcore like that.
Todd Sanders (Host):
Well, I mean, we're going to have to have a music episode after the election.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Well, I really appreciate it and I appreciate all you guys do. And to any of your listeners who have questions this election season, please reach out to us and say you're a friend of Todd's.
Todd Sanders (Host):
You bet. Well, thank you. We appreciate it. Thanks for being here.
Stephen Richer (Guest):
Thanks.