SINTON, Texas, Jan. 4, 2017 – After several years of anticipation, touchscreen voting is coming to San Patricio County. County Commissioners approved the purchase of Hart InterCivic’s new Verity® Voting system, the most advanced system certified for elections in the U.S.
Recently certified by the Texas Secretary of State’s office, and recommended by the county’s election office, Verity has passed rigorous testing at the state and federal levels. The move to all electronic voting in time for the May 2017 election helps clear the way for gaining approval of Vote Centers to serve the growing number of registered voters in San Patricio County.
Voters appreciate the convenience of Vote Centers, and Elections Administrator Pam Hill has sought approval for the updated system since she learned that Texas was testing the latest version of Verity. Vote Centers will require additional approval and public input once the new technology is in use.
Verity will replace San Patricio County’s 11-year-old legacy system from Hart, which employs both electronic and paper ballots. Wanting to upgrade as quickly as possible, Hill urged county officials to adopt the technology as soon as it was certified in Texas.
“We’re excited to move to the touchscreen,” said Elections Administrator Pam Hill. “We’re excited Verity is smaller and lighter; it will be great for our poll workers. Our expectations are high for the administrative software to be even easier to work with than what we’re using now. We’re looking forward to a good 2017, starting with Verity.”
Staying with Hart, a trusted elections partner, while moving to the easy-to-use Verity system makes sense for San Patricio County.
“We’ve always enjoyed working with Hart because of our relationship with the company’s personnel,” Hill added. “We know Hart is there to help us with whatever we need. I couldn’t ask for a better company to work with at election time and throughout the year.”
Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic commented, “When the Texas Secretary of State’s office certified this newest release of Verity, San Patricio was one of the first counties in line for the new technology. They’ve made a good move. We have worked with this county since 2005, and we look forward to a long future of successful elections together.”
Verity is a flexible, transparent and trustworthy solution with the most up-to-date hardware and software available in the U.S. The Verity touchscreen is bigger and easier to read, and the complete system weighs less than other options. Its portable, briefcase style simplifies transport, setup and storage.
Since Verity Voting’s first release was certified by the federal Election Assistance Commission in May 2015, jurisdictions in eight states have adopted the system. 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.
Braithwaite anticipates more Verity announcements from Texas counties in the coming weeks.
Learn more about Verity in Texas: https://www.hartintercivic.com/texas4verity.