BRYAN, Ohio, March 6, 2019 – Last week, election officials in Williams County took delivery of the most secure voting system technology available, Verity® Voting from Hart InterCivic. Budget friendly pricing, time-saving features and a long history of excellent customer service from Hart made Verity the right choice.
“Of course, we looked at other vendors, but Verity is easier to learn, and Hart is wonderful to work with,” said then-Director of Elections Katrena Ebersole (now Deputy Director). “The software is so user friendly. Plus everyone liked the price.”
“Williams County is making the right decision for their voters, and we appreciate their confidence in Verity and Hart,” said Phillip Braithwaite, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic, which has more than 100 years’ experience working with elections. “We’ve supported the County’s elections since 2006 and are proud to take this step forward with them.”
Last summer, County election stakeholders saw a demonstration of Verity. Poll workers, commissioners and election board members were able to see steps for setting up, scanning and opening and closing an election. They supported the Election Office’s choice. “It was the best decision for us. We were pleased,” Ebersole said.
Williams County will continue using paper ballots with Verity.
“Our community is used to the paper ballot, and we want to make this transition easy for our voters,” Ebersole said. She is planning a revolving open house at her office that will allow members of the community to take Verity for a test drive.
“I want everyone to feel comfortable, taking a look and asking questions,” she said.
Ebersole is looking forward to the cost savings and convenience of Verity Print, which prints on demand. “We’ll save money, and we’ll save time. We’ll only print the ballots we need, when we need them,” she said.
She also appreciates the easy-to-store briefcase design of Verity, and pointed out that the County will rely on Verity Touch Writer, an ADA-compliant paper ballot marking device that provides seamless accessibility and privacy. Verity is designed with a smaller footprint and collapsible ballot boxes for easier storage and transport.
Training will begin immediately after delivery so that Verity can be used for the County’s May election, in preparation for the larger November one. Ebersole, who has been in her position since mid-2018 is relieved to have Hart’s support throughout the transition.
“I am looking forward to working with Hart’s team. I’m pretty new, and they have a great reputation. They have already been so helpful,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how many times I call them. They are so patient and so responsive. We have a rapport – it’s valuable.”
Additional Ohio counties are considering Verity, and Braithwaite expects more announcements in the coming months.
“If you’re considering a new election system, give Hart a chance. Meet with their representative and let him help you. I can’t say it strongly enough – the customer service is top notch,” Ebersole said.
For more information about the Verity Voting system in Ohio, please visit https://www.hartintercivic.com/state/ohio/