CANYON, Texas, July 13 – A bright idea three years ago is paying off in Randall County, where elections will soon be handled by the most advanced voting technology certified in Texas, Hart InterCivic’s Verity® Voting system. In 2014, Verity was not yet available, but Elections Administrator Shannon Lackey told county commissioners that it was time to figure out a plan for replacing aging voting equipment.
Randall County’s forward-looking officials set up a savings fund with a three-year timeline. As the County saved money, Verity was launched and certified, and Lackey prepared for change. On June 27, commissioners approved the Verity purchase, adding Randall County to a growing number of Texas jurisdictions thoughtfully choosing technology backed by a trusted Texas partner, Hart InterCivic.
“Hart customer service is second to none,” said Lackey, who has worked in the elections office since Hart’s previous system was installed in the Panhandle county in early 2006.
“Our commissioners were proactive – they set up a savings fund for a replacement. I’ve got to thank them for that,” she said after the 5-0 vote for Verity. “The timing is perfect.”
Lackey is looking forward to using Verity’s updated technology. The system’s easy-to-use touchscreen is familiar to voters, and a lightweight, removable tablet plus an array of accessibility features accommodate all voters, including those with disabilities.
“It is important for a Vote Center county to be 100 percent electronic,” Lackey added. With 85,000 registered voters, Randall County has used convenient and popular Vote Centers since 2013. Verity, which also handles paper ballots for absentee voting, is the only second generation digital scanning technology certified in Texas. Once election workers learn ballot programming and production, voter education on the new system will begin, Lackey said. “So far, all I’ve heard is ‘awesome,’” she added.
Since the Texas Secretary of State certified the latest release of Hart InterCivic’s Verity Voting system in mid-December, 16 Texas counties have purchased the state-of-the-art system. Federally certified in 2015, the secure and efficient system is also in use in numerous jurisdictions throughout the U.S.
“We welcome Randall County to the rapidly growing Verity family in Texas. It is gratifying to see counties’ enthusiastic response to Verity’s leading-edge technology in our home state.” said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic, an Austin-based company with more than 100 years of election experience.
“Verity is the logical, trustworthy choice for Texas jurisdictions,” Braithwaite said. “It is a versatile election system with state-of-the-art hardware and software designed in Austin and based on input from officials across the state, as well as other election experts nationwide.”
Hart’s deep election background and strong reputation for customer care built a decade of trust in Randall County. “Anyone who hasn’t worked with Hart is missing out. The equipment sells itself, and if there are ever needs or problems, help is just a call away,” Lackey confirmed. “We’ll use it next November, and my staff is very excited.”
For more information on the Verity Voting system, please visit www.hartintercivic.com/verityoverview.