BAIRD, Texas, Jan. 9, 2018 – Callahan County’s Election Office is ringing in 2018 with a new voting system and will start testing and training this week. Commissioners chose the most up-to-date technology available in the U.S. for the upgrade — the Verity® Voting system from Hart InterCivic. The approval came in late December, and County Clerk Nicole Crocker is thrilled that the new equipment has already been delivered.
“We are ready to get started, and I am so excited to see new boxes ready to be opened in my office,” she said. “This upgrade is good for the County. Verity is new and will serve us for 15 years or more. It wasn’t hard for our commissioners to see the efficiencies and financial advantages of Verity. They moved quickly to approve the purchase.”
Crocker is also eager to continue the County’s relationship with long-time election partner Hart InterCivic. “Hart’s people are wonderful to work with. They are helpful and experienced. We never seriously considered leaving our partnership with Hart.”
“We appreciate Callahan County’s confidence in Hart and in Verity. We have worked with them since 2005, and we understand their election preferences and needs,” said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic, an Austin-based company with more than 100 years of experience providing election solutions. “Our team is in motion helping prepare the County for a successful March election.”
Verity is a federally and state certified system designed from the ground up to be flexible, easy to use and secure with all new hardware and software. It will debut for the March 2018 election in Callahan County, and Crocker has already shared information about the new equipment on social media for her voters.
Users appreciate Verity’s intuitive touchscreen tablet that many compare to an iPad. “It’s time for this technology,” Crocker said. “Voters want touchpads.”
Crocker also is pleased that the lightweight, compact Verity Voting equipment is easy to transport to Vote Centers. In addition, the system’s removable tablet and accessibility features accommodate all voters, including those with disabilities. Once poll workers start training, Crocker knows they will be happy. She is looking forward to making their work easier and elections more efficient.
“Overall, Verity will be user-friendly and easier for the voters, and that’s what it’s all about,” she said.
Callahan County joins a growing number of Texas jurisdictions moving to Verity. Since the Texas Secretary of State certified the latest release of the system in late 2016, Hart has shipped more than 7,000 Verity devices across the State. Federally certified in 2015, the secure and efficient system is also in use in numerous counties throughout the U.S.
Braithwaite expects more Texas and national announcements throughout 2018.
Learn more about Verity in Texas: https://www.hartintercivic.com/texas4verity.