First Counties to Vote with Hart's Verity Praise New System

AUSTIN, Texas, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- County officials and voters across Texas agree that Hart InterCivic's new Verity® Voting system contributed to efficient voting on May 6. Verity, the only all-new election system certified at the state and federal levels, has been purchased in 11 Texas counties and debuted in nine of them this month.

"Voters were very impressed with the equipment, and I was impressed with the ease of closing the polls," said Heather Hawthorne, Elections Administrator for Chambers County.

Medina County Elections Administrator, Patricia Barton, reported positive feedback from voters as well, saying that voters reacted favorably to the direct record electronic (DRE) Verity Touch, which includes an easy-to-use touchscreen.

"They couldn't believe how wonderful the machines were," Barton said. "Of course, they all have iPhones. I kept telling them, if you can use the iPhone, you can use the new machine."

Barton also heard good feedback from two Castroville council members and a Medina County commissioner: "One said purchasing those machines was one of the best things that Medina County could have done."

In Young County, Election Administrator Lauren Sullivan praised Verity for efficient ballot layout and voting preparation.

"My favorite improvement was the setup time. Taking 5-10 minutes before I can load the equipment in my car and head to the vote center, down from half a day, is a big difference. Election night didn't change that much, but setup time was drastically different," Sullivan said.

Unlike other electronic voting systems, Verity uses a centralized approach to managing voting devices in the polling place. With this approach, proven for over 10 years with Hart's legacy system, a single console (Verity Controller) monitors and controls as many as 12 voting terminals and allows poll workers to assign ballot styles remotely. An available integration with an electronic poll book automates ballot assignment, thus reducing the chances for error.  The controller model also greatly reduces warehouse tasks required for each election, since only one device per polling place requires configuration for each election.

"Programming was my favorite feature," said Medina County's Barton. "Creating the ballots was awesome. It doesn't take nearly as long as it did, and it was so easy to fix things. I like the preview ballot. You preview first, and it cuts out extra steps."

Election managers also praised Hart's top-rated customer service for supporting efficient installations, training and voting.

Roxzine Stinson, Chief Elections Deputy for Lubbock County, urges those shopping for new systems to consider Hart's record of customer confidence.

"They can't go wrong. We've been with Hart since '05, and customer service always delivers," she said. "They have grown and gotten even better over the years. They are a really good vendor. Not only for us, but I have seen what they have done for other counties."

Lauren Sullivan of Young County agreed that Hart's people contributed to her seamless Election Day.

"It all comes down to customer service. They helped me feel confident, and I could confidently train my folks," she said.  "Hart has been so supportive during our transition. They've worked hard to find solutions that are the best for the county and the company. There has never been a time when I called with a question and didn't get a response."

"We congratulate our newest Verity partners on their first election," said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic, an Austin-based company with more than 100 years of election experience. "Their successes show Verity's innovative efficiencies in action. Our customers' experiences, plus Hart's trusted name across Texas, make choosing Verity easy."

Learn more about Verity in Texas: http://www.hartintercivic.com/texas4verity.

About Hart InterCivic, Inc.

Austin-based Hart InterCivic is a full service election solutions innovator, partnering with state and local governments to deliver secure, accurate and reliable elections. Working side-by-side with election professionals for more than 100 years, Hart is committed to helping advance democracy one election at a time. Hart's mission fuels its passionate customer focus and a continuous drive for technological innovation. The company's new Verity Voting system makes voting more straightforward, equitable and accessible—and makes managing elections more transparent, more efficient and easier. 

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SOURCE Hart InterCivic, Inc.