GALVESTON, Texas, January 10, 2019 – After serious consideration of all options, Galveston County Commissioners voted unanimously Dec. 17 to adopt the new Verity® Voting system from Hart InterCivic, a trusted election partner to the County since 2006.
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“Verity and Hart add up to a huge benefit for our taxpayers,” said County Clerk Dwight Sullivan. “We’ve been through crunch times with Hart, and they’ve proved to be a true partner, not just another vendor. They have integrity. Plus, Verity is a perfect match for our Vote Centers, without additional expense.”
“All kinds of vendors came at us – and we looked into them – but the bottom line is that Hart has more experience than any other with our Vote Center approach,” said Ernest Murrie, Chief Deputy of Elections for the County. “We did our research, and we saw that the competition does not perform like Hart. We trust Hart’s product and their service.”
“We’ve partnered with Galveston County for more than a decade, and we greatly value their confidence in Hart and Verity,” said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic, an Austin-based company with more than 100 years of experience providing election solutions. “They’ve chosen flexible, trustworthy technology that will serve them for years to come. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership.”
Verity is the most up-to-date election technology available and is designed and built in Texas. More than half of the voters in Texas cast their ballots on Hart’s voting systems, and Verity is a natural next step for those ready to purchase a new system.
“We’ve been planning this purchase with our commissioners since 2012, and they understood that it was time to make this investment for the long run,” Sullivan said. “We like that Hart is a Texas company with a secure product that is built stateside. USA-built is important for security and longevity.”
Verity has the flexibility to be used for paper, hybrid or electronic voting. Galveston County voters will use Verity Touch, featuring the latest security protections and all new hardware and software.
“We believe that Verity’s touchscreen will be well loved by our voters,” said Sullivan, who was recently elected to his third term in office. “User-friendly touchscreens should speed up voting, and Verity’s proven reliability and security meet our high expectations.”
With more than 200,000 registered voters to serve, Sullivan sought input from existing Verity partners and neighboring counties. “I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews,” he said. “Chambers, Brazoria, Nueces… and more. Great feedback. Of course, our own experience with Hart speaks volumes, too. If we ever have an issue, they are Johnny-on-the-spot with solutions. I can’t say enough about Hart’s customer service.”
Delivery of the new technology started Jan. 7, leaving plenty of time for local testing and training before the May election.
“Hart is committed to making this transition go well. We expect training and programming for poll workers to be simple and a smooth experience for our voters,” Murrie said. He also appreciates the convenience and efficiency of Hart’s controller model, which allows officials to manage up to 12 voting terminals from a single console.
Galveston 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 9,000 Verity devices across Texas. First federally certified in 2015, the secure and efficient system is also in use in numerous counties throughout the U.S.
Braithwaite expects more announcements throughout 2019 as additional jurisdictions choose Verity to replace aging systems.
Murrie has advice for those considering a switch. “Make sure you check out the options out there, and feel comfortable with your choice. We found out that Hart has the best product for us, and we made the commitment to get it right. We’ll have Verity for a very long time.”
Learn more about Verity in Texas: https://www.hartintercivic.com/texas/