The Verity® Voting system from Hart InterCivic, a leading election provider of election technology, is gaining momentum in New York State due to a strong customer service reputation and proven secure technology. Both counties selected Hart’s Verity system, replacing their previous vendor’s decades old voting system. Election officials cited Hart’s renowned customer support and Verity’s ease-of-use as factors in their decisions to switch.
Herkimer County Board of Elections Commissioners Kim S. Tranter, Republican, and Rob Hoyt, Democrat, were concerned about spending taxpayer dollars wisely, choosing a trustworthy system, and protecting voter confidence.
Everything about Verity is easier, the Commissioners agree. “Any issue we had, it’s been corrected with the Verity machines,” Hoyt said, “right down to creating our own ballots.”
“Our poll workers were able to adapt to the new machines very quickly. They got to come in and learn hands-on.” Tranter said. “It’s easy for them to navigate,” Hoyt agreed.
Ultimately, the Commissioners’ satisfaction was built on a level of personal customer service seldom seen in the industry. The Commissioners praised Hart’s hands-on relationship building. County staff are on a first name basis with Hart representatives across the company — from project managers and sales reps to a Senior Vice President who came to visit during early voting for a tour.
“Customer service played a big role in us making a decision,” Hoyt said. “Even before we were customers, they were willing to help us with any questions we had. I’ve never experienced a company with customer service like this.”
“It was a very good experience and it’s a huge responsibility to choose new voting equipment and spend this kind of money on a machine, hoping it works the way you anticipate that it will,” Tranter said.
Another nearby county was also looking to make a change and had a similar experience with Hart.
Washington County Board of Elections Commissioners Tom Rogers, Republican, and Jeffrey Curtis, Democrat along with Democratic Deputy Commissioner Mindy Suprenant and Republican Deputy Commissioner Ashley Skogsberg wanted a new system in place in advance of the 2024 General Election. They didn’t believe their current machines or software would make it until 2025. About a year ago they began researching for a new voting system after a major problem printing their own ballots.
“We liked the Verity system from the outset,” Suprenant said.
“After several demos, our supervisors, administration and even our IT team were blown away with the Verity system,” Rogers said. “The whole process took a long time to evaluate, and as we learned more, we got very comfortable with Hart.”
Commissioners agree, Verity machines are consolidated, lighter weight, more efficient, and easier to use.
“It’s going to be easier for poll workers to set-up and tear-down, it’s going to be less complicated,” Rogers said. “For example, our current system is a 3-step process just to turn it on in the polling place and now [with Verity] it’s going to be one-step.”
“We liked the product, the efficiency, the software and while competitor’s prices were comparable, Verity had more to offer,” Rogers said. “We wanted to move forward with a new system for the November election and Hart was the only company that could do it for us.”
“Welcome to the Hart family! We look forward to sharing our brand of customer support, backing the best voting technology available,” said Julie Mathis, CEO and President of Hart InterCivic, an Austin-based company with more than 100 years of experience providing election solutions.
“Our election partners set a high bar for up-to-date, secure voting technology and demand the most responsive customer service. We understand that transitions can be complex, and we provide top-tier professional service to help customers adapt to new technology and processes,” Mathis added.
For more information about the Verity Voting system, please visit https://www.hartintercivic.com/voting-solutions/verityoverview/