Moving to comply with a state mandate to replace its election system was a priority in Lancaster County. Despite the need for prompt action, County officials were not willing to compromise high standards established by the Election Board.
When the Verity® Voting system from the jurisdiction’s long-time election partner Hart InterCivic achieved State certification in May, the system met each of the five criteria the County had set. Lancaster County officials voted for the modern, secure new technology over competitors on June 26. Final approval came July 3, and system delivery was complete by July 10.
“Not only did we choose a system that met every standard we set, acceptance testing is underway and should be finished within the week,” said Randall Wenger, Lancaster County Election Director. “I hear there are counties that made agreements with other companies weeks or months earlier and are still waiting on delivery.”
“Hart’s prompt delivery allows us to make the Commonwealth’s recommended August 1 date for completion of acceptance testing. We’ll be ready for our November 5 election,” Wenger said.
“Lancaster County set high standards for new election technology. We appreciate their choice of Verity and their continued confidence in Hart,” said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic, a U.S. company with more than 100 years of experience providing election solutions.
“We are working closely with elections staff to ensure the transition is smooth and efficient and that Verity’s advancements best serve the voters. We’ve partnered with the County since 2006 and look forward to many more years of supporting Lancaster County’s needs.”
Wenger praised Hart for the company’s responsive customer service over the years and the reliability of Hart’s legacy voting system. “Our prior system served us well, and we have had a great experience for the past 13 years. We are looking forward to new functionality.”
The County’s criteria, set in 2018, and met by Verity, include:
- Voter-marked paper ballots to effectively move voters through a polling place on Election Day
- Paper-ballot tabulation at the polling place, rather than a central location, allowing tabulation of absentee ballots at the polling place and notification of voters of any over-vote before leaving the polling place
- An ADA-compliant component to allow for the generation of ballots as similar as possible to voter-marked ballots, preserving, to the greatest extent possible, the privacy of the voter using this component
- A single piece of equipment that allows poll workers to print zero tapes and tally tapes to enable easier pre-election setup, post-election tear-down and completion of return sheets on Election Day
- A system that allows cross-nominated candidates to be correctly listed
“I believe the new system will be intuitive with little change for voters. There will be a small learning curve for workers, but I envision that we’ll open and close polls quickly and efficiently. We have time to work out any growing pains before the heavier turnout in 2020,” said Wenger, who has served as Election Director since 2012 and previously as an elected county official.
Hart pioneered digital ballot scanning, and the company’s decade-plus experience with the technology has strongly influenced Verity’s design.
A growing number of jurisdictions throughout the U.S. have chosen Verity to prepare for 2020 elections, and Braithwaite expects more announcements in the coming weeks.
Learn more about Verity: https://www.hartintercivic.com/state/pennsylvania/
The State Board of Elections and the Examiners of voting equipment have certified the latest major release of Hart InterCivic’s Verity® Voting system. This milestone clears the way for Kentucky counties to purchase the newest Verity version, featuring enhancements to the modern, secure system, as well as a new secure and transparent voting method with touchscreen ease and the assurance of a paper trail.
The flexible Verity system, which has been praised for its performance in several counties where it is already in use, now includes Verity Duo, which combines touchscreen ballot marking with a voter-friendly printed vote record.
Verity Duo is the only hybrid solution on the market that counts votes directly from a human-readable printed summary, not from a bar code that only a machine can read.
“Verity Duo is part of Hart’s ongoing commitment to efficient, secure voting solutions. We are proud that this release of Verity has met Kentucky’s rigorous standards,” said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic, a U.S. company with more than 100 years of experience providing election solutions. “Our partner, Harp Enterprises, is the exclusive reseller for Verity in Kentucky. They are headquartered in Lexington, and they’re ready to demonstrate the latest hybrid features that Duo offers.”
In addition to Verity Duo, newly certified features assure that Verity can handle the highest volumes for large jurisdictions, up to 3,000 precincts for example. Other improvements increase efficiencies related to election preparation, vote counting and audits. A new serialized seal increases physical security on devices and workstations.
Election teams appreciate the ease of storing, transporting and setting up Verity’s compact, lightweight polling place devices.
“Verity is built for the future and flexible enough to adapt to changing demands,” Braithwaite said. “Some counties want touchscreens; some want paper ballots; some want the best of both. Our technology delivers on all levels.”
Verity is increasingly the system of choice as counties across the U.S. prepare for 2020 elections. Braithwaite expects the certification to open doors to more jurisdictions looking for a traditional paper-ballot or hybrid paper-trail option.
Request a Verity Demo: Harp Enterprises 1-800-432-9282
Hart’s Verity Voting devices do not run on Windows 7. Recent press coverage on the operating systems of voting machines misidentified Verity’s actual operating system, Windows Embedded 7 (“WES7”). WES7 is a separate operating system from Windows 7 and has distinct features that make it ideal for a voting system.
WES7 is a customizable operating system that provides enhanced security. Hart’s implementation of WES7 employs “attack surface reduction,” a security technique that strips out extraneous components, leaving only the absolutely necessary ones. Verity therefore runs on only a small subset of the components of the standard Windows 7 used in devices like personal laptops. By reducing the number of components – especially high-risk components such as Internet Explorer – WES7 reduces the opportunity for attacks. Verity devices are never connected to the internet, so programs like Internet Explorer aren’t necessary.
Verity is further protected through a security best practice called “whitelisting” – rather than trying to block each new threat, Verity only allows pre-approved software. Any unauthorized programs or software are rejected, and the system is protected from any attempts of modification.
WES7 is not on the same lifecycle as Windows 7. As an operating system designed for use in embedded products, Microsoft has made WES7 available for longer than Windows 7. In fact, Microsoft will not “end-of-life” this product until 2024.
Looking Forward
Verity will transition to a minimized, embedded version of Windows 10 years prior to WES7’s projected end-of-life. The upgrade is planned to move through the federal certification process in 2020.
Hart continues to be an engaged partner to our customers, state and local election officials, sharing knowledge and best practices on how best to secure America’s elections. But we also recognize that our commitment must extend beyond just our direct customers to the citizens and voters of this country. To help protect their votes, we are active partners with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Election Assistance Commission (EAC); and the IT-ISAC (Information Sharing & Analysis Center) and many others.
Hart is also partnering with Microsoft on ElectionGuard, an open-source software development kit and set of support tools that allow voting system vendors like Hart to implement End-to-End Verification (E2EV) within a voting system, enabling members of the public to verify that an election was counted accurately. Hart and Microsoft share a passion for improving and increasing ballot verifiability, election accessibility, auditability and security.
At Hart, protecting the integrity of elections is at the core of everything we do and ensuring the security and performance of our system is a responsibility we take very seriously.
Mendocino County is taking delivery of the modern, secure Verity® Voting system from election solution provider Hart InterCivic. User-friendly features and excellent customer service led to the choice of Hart’s Verity over a previous vendor’s system.
“Verity is the best fit for our voters’ needs,” said Katrina Bartolomie, Assessor/Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters. “Our voters like the paper ballot record that Hart provides. If using the ADA device at the polling place, they can print out a real ballot. They like that better than printing out a barcode like the other system,” she added. The County staged demonstrations of the competing election systems, and invited election officials and representatives from several counties.
“Mendocino County is new to the Hart family. We will provide the reliable, trustworthy election experience that they expect and deserve. We are working closely with elections staff to ensure the transition to Verity is smooth and efficient,” said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic, a U.S. company with more than 100 years of experience providing election solutions.
“Verity is the only all-new, proven system certified in California, and forward-looking counties are paying attention. Solano, Yolo and Lake Counties are just a few of the jurisdictions that have recently selected Verity for future elections,” he said. “Mendocino made the right choice.”
With 50,000 registered voters, County officials anticipate saving time and effort on election nights. “Verity will eliminate most of our manual processes. The ease of scanning ballots, plus the speed of on-screen ballot adjudication will make a huge difference for our returns,” said Bartolomie. “We can do 95% on screen.” She also pointed out that Verity will allow the County to replace a roomful of hand-fed optical readers with a pair of efficient scanners. With 83% of ballots returned by mail, that greatly improves workflow and opens up valuable workspace.
Hart pioneered digital ballot scanning, and the company’s decade-plus experience with the technology has strongly influenced Verity’s design. Verity’s hardware and software features make elections secure and transparent. A main component of the U.S.-built system is Verity Central, with a streamlined workflow, logical onscreen adjudication and no ballot pre-sorting required.
Equipment is arriving this week, and voting on the new system may start as soon as November.
“We’re excited to see Verity. We knew other counties were pleased with Hart, and so far, customer service has been great. The staff’s help with follow through and quick answers helped complete the contract process in record time,” said Bartolomie, who has worked with elections since 2004.
“Hart’s work with our CEO office and county counsel staff made the whole process very smooth,” she said.
Additional California counties are considering switching to Verity before the 2020 elections; Braithwaite expects more announcements soon.
Learn more about Verity: https://www.hartintercivic.com/state/california/
Yolo County is preparing for 2020 elections – and beyond – by selecting the modern, secure Verity® Voting system from the jurisdiction’s long-time election partner Hart InterCivic. Verity was chosen over older systems available in the state for its flexibility to transition with the County and for trusted customer support from Hart.
“The new Verity system allows us to offer what our voters want today and to remain flexible to make more improvements over the next few years,” said Jesse Salinas, Assessor/Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters.
“The simplicity of Verity is beautiful. It allows for a larger, more readable ballot that is user-friendly for voters, and the new software makes designing ballots easier. Verity gives us the ability to create a paper ballot for every voter, not the vote summary that other vendors offer. Verity provides a true paper ballot, which provides the best auditing trail possible.”
“As we consider evolving to Vote Centers for 2022, we are glad to have a system like Verity that is both effective and efficient. Verity’s ability to pivot made a two-stage implementation approach very attractive for Yolo County. With Hart’s guidance and expertise, we will also pilot on-demand ballots in 2020.”
“Yolo County is a valued Hart partner. We are proud they have chosen Verity for their future elections,” said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic, a U.S. company with more than 100 years of experience providing election solutions. “We have worked with them to deliver smooth elections since 2006 and look forward to collaborating for many more years.”
“We are also proud to support voter engagement in Yolo County through their exciting YES! program for young voters,” he added.
The YES! (Youth Empowerment Summit) program encourages high school students to explore leadership roles and civic engagement and lets them experience how their voices are heard through the election process. The annual summit includes a mock election, which Hart facilitates.
“Hart gets what we are trying to do with voter engagement and protecting democracy,” Salinas said. “That’s just part of their wonderful customer support.”
“I’ve worked first-hand with Hart for four elections in the last three years. Their service is second to none: dependable, insightful and responsive. They have a track record of success,” said Salinas, who was sworn in in May 2016, right before the primary.
Yolo County, with 113,000 registered voters, will use Verity for the first time in March 2020. Salinas is looking forward to seeing what he calls “simple, eloquent” solutions in action. “Not only is the new technology efficient and high speed, but the units are portable, and storage is compact,” he said.
In preparation for the next election, Salinas has partnered with a cybersecurity specialist from nearby UC Davis to provide additional testing on the County’s equipment.
“We want to go above and beyond due diligence. Verity has passed all protocols and has an excellent state and national reputation,” Salinas said. “However, we want to do what we can locally from a security standpoint as well. Hart is open and willing to allow this extra level of scrutiny to assure our citizens that we are protecting their vote.”
“Of course we are open to this idea,” said Braithwaite. “We are confident in Verity. Hart pioneered digital ballot scanning more than a decade ago, and the U.S.-built system is secure and transparent. More tests are more proof.”
A number of California counties are considering switching to Verity before the 2020 elections, and Braithwaite expects more announcements soon.
“Do your homework, talk to Hart, see the product,” said Salinas to those looking at Verity. “It’s a tremendous product, and you will hear the same thing wherever you go.”
Learn more about Verity in California: https://www.hartintercivic.com/state/california/
Solano County is moving forward with the most up-to-date voting technology, Verity® Voting, a modern, secure system from longtime election solution provider Hart InterCivic. Verity was chosen over other systems based on the County’s thorough research and public comparisons.
“Our goal was to best serve our voters, now and for years down the road,” said Assistant Registrar of Voters John Gardner. “Verity delivered what other systems could not.”
“With new technology, we can do better at the polling places. We specifically sought a system to integrate with our electronic polling book – a system capable of printing the correct blank ballot for newly registered voters,” said Gardner, who has more than 18 years of experience as an election professional, including eight years in his current role.
The County also staged a 2-hour side-by-side demonstration of Verity and another California-certified system for about 100 stakeholders including government officials, poll workers, representatives of political groups, plus interested members of the public. Other counties also sent officials to the step-by-step demonstration designed to compare each voting process in real time.
Surveyed afterward, 80% of Solano respondents said Hart did a better job of meeting local election needs.
Chart courtesy Solano County Registrar’s Office
“Verity rose to the top, and during our RFP process, it scored the best in our functional requirements,” Gardner said. “We found that Verity is the best way to utilize new technology to improve the in-person voting experience.”
“We are proud to be selected by Solano County and appreciate their analytical approach to choosing an election partner,” said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic, a U.S. company with more than 100 years of experience providing election solutions.
“We share their voter-first outlook and look forward to delivering the technology and expertise that the County demands. Verity is the only all-new, proven system certified in California,” he said.
Delivery of equipment will begin in July, and Verity will debut in Solano County March 3, 2020. Gardner plans mock elections and other opportunities to let voters get comfortable with the new system.
Voters will continue using paper ballots, then scan them at the polling place, so much will remain the same. Gardner is looking forward to several features that will provide better service to the County’s 240,000 registered voters:
- Second-chance voting that alerts voters at the scanning station of possible errors or omissions.
- Ability to print a correct ballot for newly registered voters
- Accessibility for all voters
- Easier set-up and lightweight design to help poll workers work efficiently
Behind the scenes, Gardner anticipates saving time and money with Verity’s on-screen adjudication, streamlined reporting options, off-the-shelf scanners and user-friendly programming.
He also has confidence in Verity’s security features.
“Hart has been in the business a long time. They understand security and integrity, both inside and outside the devices. This system has passed state and federal tests, and we never connect to the internet. Our voters can be confident,” he said.
As for other jurisdictions exploring their next voting system, Gardner says it is a tough decision, and a thoughtful, thorough process is crucial.
“Make sure you write down what is important to you, and make a decision based on what you need and want. Choose a system you can live with. Your choice needs to fit what you are doing today and in 10 years,” he said. Verity’s flexible design fits Solano’s vision.
“Verity was certified by the State of California in 2018, and Hart has provided voting system solutions to California counties since 2006,” said Braithwaite. “Our commitment to the state is long-term.
“We pioneered digital ballot scanning more than a decade ago, and our willingness to listen to stakeholders and provide solutions is the DNA of Verity’s efficient, flexible and transparent approach,” he continued.
Hart is actively working with a number of California counties researching new election systems, and Braithwaite anticipates more announcements in the coming weeks.
Learn more about Verity: https://www.hartintercivic.com/state/california/
The VerityVote system from Texas-based Hart InterCivic has been selected as Lancaster County’s next voting system.
The company, which was the only one that met all of the criteria outlined by the county Board of Elections last fall, was unanimously selected by the board Wednesday morning.
However, the matter of payment is still up in the air.
The machines will be purchased for $2,710,994, with the plan being to implement them for the November election.
The state mandated last spring that all counties update their voting systems by the 2020 primary, following warnings from federal authorities that Russian hackers had targeted the state.
The Pennsylvania Department of State ordered all counties to replace their voting systems by the end of 2019 with systems that generate “voter-verifiable paper records.”
While the county’s current system — purchased in 2006 — is still viable, it was not certified by the state after the required date of Jan. 1, 2018 and thus must be replaced.
Lancaster County will be receiving roughly $539,000 in federal reimbursements, but so far no concrete financial assistance has been offered by the state, leaving local taxpayers on the hook for the rest.
Commissioner Craig Lehman said he recently emailed Lancaster County’s state delegation imploring them to find funding for the expense.
The board’s vote Wednesday was only for which type of machine to purchase, not how it will be paid for. The county commissioners will discuss financing at their meeting Tuesday.
Hart supplied the county’s previous voting equipment, and only faced Clear Ballot of Boston as competition for the county contract.
Both companies presented their machines during a public presentation in April at the Lancaster County Public Safety Training Center in East Hempfield Township. Attendees were able to test out the new systems, each featuring paper ballots and machines to scan and process them.
Director of elections Randall Wenger explained the Clear Ballot machine did not meet the board’s requirement that the system be able to correctly list cross-nominated candidates and so it was not recommended for purchase.
Wenger said most voters will experience minimal change as the majority have been voting on paper ballots already. Changes may be more pronounced for ADA voters, and Wenger is working on organizing information sessions for voters who will be using the ADA system.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
SAM JANESCH | Staff Writer
FAIRFIELD — An Austin, Texas, company was awarded a five-year, $2.29 million contract to head the transition of Solano County’s voting equipment heading into the March 2020 primary.
Hart InterCivic Inc. will help replace existing voting equipment that was decertified by the state, as well as provide support services from June 2019 through June 2024.
Hart InterCivic was the clear favorite among those county staff members and members of the public who took part in a March voting demonstration.
In addition to the contract, the board also approved $127,000 for professional services and additional supplies as well as staffing and operational costs for public outreach, installation a planned mock draft and other needs leading into the election.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 6, 2019 – With the Ohio Secretary of State’s June 3 certification of the latest major release of Hart InterCivic’s Verity® Voting system, jurisdictions in the State can now purchase a “hybrid” version of the modern, secure voting system. Verity’s newest component, Verity Duo, combines the ease of touchscreen ballot marking with the assurance of a paper trail.
Verity, first certified in the State in 2017, made its Ohio debut this May. This newest release of the innovative system provides the only hybrid solution on the market that counts votes directly from a human-readable printed summary, not from a bar code that only a machine can read.
“We value our longtime partnerships in Hamilton and Williams Counties, and we look forward to serving many more jurisdictions in the State,” said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic, a U.S. company with more than 100 years of experience providing election solutions. “Ohio election requirements are baked into Verity. With this latest vote of confidence from the Secretary of State, Ohio counties have greater choice in how they conduct elections with the modern, secure Verity system.”
Election teams appreciate the ease of storing, transporting and setting up Verity’s compact, lightweight polling place devices. The system’s hybrid configuration adds the efficiency of centralized management of Verity Duo devices through a patented “controller” model that reduces preparation in the warehouse to a fraction. Because Hart designed Verity as an-all new system, the company was able to incorporate the latest security features and protocols into every workflow.
“Hart is committed to continuing to bring innovative solutions to Ohio. The time is right for Ohio jurisdictions to move to Verity and enjoy the customer support and forward-looking technology we provide,” Braithwaite said.
Hart currently provides election solutions to more than 700 jurisdictions and is known for outstanding customer service, which has contributed to significant recent growth across the U.S. Braithwaite expects to announce new Ohio customers in the coming months.
For more information about the Verity Voting system, please visit www.hartintercivic.com/verityoverview.
When Nacogdoches County officials decided to replace the voting system they have used since 2005, they turned to longtime election partner Hart InterCivic to deliver the secure new Verity® Voting system.
“We know Hart and trust the quality of the products and services they deliver,” said Todd Stallings, Nacogdoches County Elections Administrator. “With Hart, we know switching to the new system will have minimum impact on voters, poll workers and our team.”
Most voters will find the process of casting their ballots to be unchanged – they will mark their paper ballots by hand and drop them into a secure ballot box, as in the past. Voters who use the new Verity Touch Writer accessible ballot marking device will experience a difference. After marking their ballots on the easy-to-use, ADA-compliant device, these voters will print their marked ballots and drop them in the ballot box as other voters do.
“We’re happy to be moving to 100% paper,” Stallings said. “Now our voters will be even more confident that their votes are counted accurately.”
Nacogdoches County scans ballots at the elections office, and Verity Central provides efficient, cost-effective management of the process. “I like the on-screen ballot resolution,” Stallings said. “The new system will help us get our work done more quickly. This means we can get results out faster on Election Night.”
The decision to purchase Verity was not a hasty one. Nacogdoches County had set aside funds for the purchase, and Hart had presented a public demonstration of the system in 2017. Since that time, Stallings and his team have fully vetted available options, asking vendors hundreds of questions.
One often-overlooked factor in choosing a voting system provider is the services offered. Stallings said, “Hart’s ballot production services are outstanding. I have worked with that team on all stages of preparing for our elections. I know Hart’s going to get our ballots right every time. That’s one reason I wanted to stay with Hart. Your equipment can be flashy, but if your ballots aren’t right, your election is in trouble.”
Nacogdoches County’s new equipment arrived June 4, and training begins this week.
“We applaud Nacogdoches County’s move to Verity, and we are gratified to continue our long partnership,” said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic, an Austin-based company with more than 100 years of experience providing election solutions. “We know Verity will serve the County and its voters well for many years.”
Braithwaite expects more Texas and national announcements soon.
Learn more about Verity in Texas: https://www.hartintercivic.com/state/texas/