BOISE, Idaho, Nov. 3, 2016 – While school board elections in Boise City will never get the attention that this month’s national vote is garnering, that’s okay with district officials. They are pleased that their recent trustee election was smooth and uneventful – results were available within hours, thanks to the Verity® Voting system.
Earlier this year, the Independent School District of Boise chose Hart InterCivic’s Verity to replace an aging and time-consuming system that required hand counting ballots. The Verity system and Hart services helped deliver accurate election results quickly, just months after the purchase.
“Our experience was excellent. We were able to scan our ballots, issue reports and review results within three hours of the polls closing,” said Jennette Clark, Clerk of the Board.
The Verity Central high-speed ballot scanner features advanced software that makes it easy for election officials to manage large volumes of ballots efficiently, capturing voters’ choices marked on paper ballots. The District used Verity Count to tabulate results, reporting the tally in record time. Verity Touch Writer was on hand at Election Central to enable voters with disabilities to mark their ballots using assistive devices if needed.
“One of the great advantages of the Hart InterCivic Verity equipment is that it is based upon using printed ballots that are scanned, thereby ensuring security and the ability to recount and verify results,” Clark said.
Another advantage of the new system is that it was also chosen by Ada County, where Verity was successfully launched in March and used again in the May Primary, for some 215,000 registered voters. “Voters within our district boundaries all live within Ada County,” Clark added. Poll workers trained for the Ada County elections were well versed in how to operate the easy-to-use Verity system for the trustee election.
“As more jurisdictions in Idaho and the Northwest choose Verity, we see more sharing of best practices and training techniques,” said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic. “More voters are becoming familiar with the easy-to-use system, and the word is spreading.”
Customer service was also a consideration for Boise officials who were assisted by a Hart professional during ballot counting. The results earned this strong endorsement for the Hart team:
“We recommend Hart InterCivic as our vendor of choice for both the equipment and the service,” Clark said.
“We thank Boise schools for the vote of confidence and look forward to a healthy partnership as Hart’s presence in the state continues to grow,” Braithwaite said.
Officials seeking a demonstration of the Verity system should call 512-252-6409.
Learn more about the Verity Voting system: www.hartintercivic.com/verityoverview.