Voters in Oakland County will soon benefit from the most up-to-date election system available, County Clerk Lisa Brown announced. Based on thorough research into performance and security, Brown chose the Verity Voting system from Hart InterCivic to replace aging election equipment.
Brown, along with Director of Elections Joe Rozell, served on committees to assist with the lengthy procurement process, which started more than three years ago. Selecting the next voting system for the citizens of the second-largest county in Michigan has been a collaborative process.
“I asked local clerks to identify the top priorities that were most important to them for the selection,” Brown said. “Ease of use, forward-looking technology and excellent customer service ranked highest as desired qualities in a new election system. Hart InterCivic was the clear choice for all three.”
Hart’s Verity system was first federally certified by the Election Assistance Commission in 2015, so it is much newer than other systems. “We want voters in Oakland County to be completely confident in the election process. Verity has security features – like preventing a ballot from being counted twice – that should instill that confidence,” Brown said. Additionally, the system’s modern software and devices were designed to be easy to learn and use for voters, poll workers and election officials.
“I am pleased with how easy it’s going to be to program our elections with Verity,” Rozell commented. “We’ll be able to accomplish tasks in minutes that used to take hours. When precincts send their results to the County via modem for accumulation and reporting, the process will be more secure, and we’ll easily be able to track which precincts have sent results and which haven’t. Only Verity adds the assurance of a federally certified solution.”
“We’re excited that Hart is opening an office in Oakland County,” Brown added. “We’re looking forward to great local service.”
The decision makes sound financial sense for Oakland County. In January, Secretary of State Ruth Johnson authorized funding for Michigan jurisdictions to replace election equipment. Hart’s Verity Voting system, the only all-new system, is 100 percent covered under the state’s voting system replacement fund. Oakland County will receive full funding for the state-of-the-art system as well as coverage for five years of Hart’s industry-leading maintenance and support program.
Planning is in progress for implementing Verity in Oakland County and training clerks and election workers on the new system. Voters in selected municipalities will use Verity for the first time this August.
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