Oregon Voting Option Includes New Technology Backed by Well-Known Name

SALEM, Ore., Feb. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- By pioneering automatic voter registration, Oregon becomes one of the easiest places to vote, ratcheting up ballot volume and putting pressure on election officials hampered by aging voting systems.  Now, county clerks considering upgrades are getting opportunities to learn more about the only second generation digital solution to pass rigorous state and national certification standards, Verity® Voting by Hart InterCivic.

Designed with direct input from Oregon election managers, Verity was spotlighted at a users' group session during last week's Oregon Association of County Clerks Mid-Winter Conference in Salem. The conference brought together county and state voting officials to discuss election issues.

"Meeting face-to-face with election managers reinforced that while Oregon appreciates pioneering ideas, they also appreciate the decades of experience that back the Verity system," said Vice President of Operations Peter Lichtenheld, who led the Hart InterCivic meeting.  "For example, our 10-year history in Oregon means our integration with the State's voter registration databases is in place and ready to manage potentially increasing voter volume."

"On the other hand, innovation shines through in Verity's high speed ballot scanning and color-coded onscreen resolution of voter intent.  We'll be showing both in great detail at a statewide, hands-on demonstration in June."

Details of the June demonstration in Clackamas County will be shared when a date is confirmed. Early adopter Clackamas County, with about 230,000 registered voters, debuted Verity successfully in November 2015 and will help show the system in action. 

County clerks and other election officials at the Salem session with Hart also learned more about Verity's approach to post-election audits, including a user-friendly process for confirming write-ins and voter intent.

Hart representatives also led a paper-quality tutorial to help officials choose the most trouble-free ballot paper. Excellent ballot quality is crucial in a by-mail state like Oregon.

Finally, Hart partners met individually with company representatives to review their goals, procedures and other big-picture needs for the coming year.

"This long-view consultation is a building block of Hart's approach to customer service," said Lichtenheld. "It gives us another opportunity to listen to our customers – to anticipate their needs and find solutions that prevent deadline emergencies. This way, we continue to raise the bar."

For more information on the Verity Voting system, please visit www.hartintercivic.com/verityoverview.

About Hart InterCivic, Inc.

Austin-based Hart InterCivic is a full service election solutions innovator, partnering with state and local governments to deliver secure, accurate and reliable elections. Working side-by-side with election professionals for more than 100 years, Hart is committed to helping advance democracy one election at a time. The Hart mission fuels passionate customer focus and a continuous drive for technological innovation. The new Verity Voting system makes voting more straightforward, more equitable and more accessible—and ensures that managing elections is more transparent, more efficient and easier.

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SOURCE Hart InterCivic

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