New Verity Voting System Meets Needs of Rapidly Growing Chambers County

ANAHUAC, Texas, Jan. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Decisions triggered by growing election needs will pay off for Chambers County voters when they go to the polls in May 2017. Voters will cast ballots electronically on the Verity® Voting system from Hart InterCivic. Recently certified by the Texas Secretary of State's office, Verity has passed rigorous testing at the state and federal levels.

Election officials in the rapidly growing county near Houston took notice of neighboring Jefferson County's switch to Hart InterCivic from a vendor both counties shared. Chambers officials were also aware of Harris County's longtime satisfaction with Hart's customer service.

In demonstrations of Hart's new Verity electronic voting system, Chambers County decision-makers were wowed by the system's centralized management console and portable, briefcase-style polling place devices.

On election night, Verity allows officials to publish results faster because they can close polls on all voting terminals at once and report consolidated totals in just one step; there is no need to collect votes from every device separately.

This huge efficiency is due to Verity Controller, a centralized "brain" that allows officials to open polls on up to 12 voting terminals from a single console. The Controller model greatly simplifies election setup, because warehouse workers predefine just the Controller – not every voting terminal. The model also cuts down on the purchase and handling of portable data storage devices, saving those costs for jurisdictions. 

Chambers County officials expect significant cost savings in ballot programming as well, projecting a 30 percent lower cost than what they have been paying. The Verity system features powerful ballot programming software that empowers jurisdictions to create their own ballots.

"We are excited for the voters of Chambers County to enjoy the most technologically advanced voting system in the U.S.," said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic. "As the most efficient system on the market, Verity will save Chambers County time and money for many years and elections to come."

Verity also provides an additional level of accessibility for voters with disabilities or impaired mobility: a portable tablet accommodates voters in a variety of settings.

Chambers County voters will be using the latest version of Verity, which is the only all-new direct-recording electronic (DRE) system on the market that complies with current federal and state guidelines.  

Since the federal Election Assistance Commission first certified Verity Voting in May 2015, jurisdictions in eight states have adopted the system. The version certified in Texas this month was designed to meet the needs of longtime and new Texas customers. Hart, which provides voting system solutions for 111 Texas counties, has headquarters in Austin and more than 100 years of history in the election business. 

"Chambers County is among the first in Texas to upgrade to Verity. We welcome them to a growing list of Texas counties leaving their current vendor, seeking superior equipment and better customer service," said Braithwaite. Hart anticipates more Verity announcements from Texas counties in the coming weeks.

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. The Hart mission fuels 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.