voter touches screen on ballot marking device

Hart InterCivic

Verity Duo

Make / Model: Hart InterCivic Duo
Equipment Type: Ballot Marking Device

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Overview

Election workers test ballot marking device
Voter presses screen on ballot marking device
duos

Hart InterCivic’s Verity Duo is a ballot marking device that combines touchscreen voting with an integrated thermal printer and is typically used in jurisdictions fielding ballot marking devices (BMDs) for all voters. The Verity Duo must be connected to the Verity Controller and can be daisy-chained with up to twelve total Verity Duos, while the Verity Duo Standalone is a standalone BMD that does not require connection to a Verity Controller.

The Duo ballot marking device allows voters to mark choices on a touchscreen display. After voters are finished marking all their preferred choices, the device presents a “review page” that allows voters to double-check their choices on their ballot. (And if voters skip any contests, the screen indicates “No selection.”) After voters have had the opportunity to review all choices on the summary page, voters select “Print Ballot,” which causes the integrated thermal printer to generate a summary paper record of the voter’s choices. Verity Duo does not have scanning or tabulating capabilities; it is a marking device only. Accordingly, once Duo prints a paper record, the voter must insert it into a separate Verity Scan device to cast their vote.

Although Verity Duo prints “summary” paper records, which only show voter’s choices (like many other ballot marking devices), Verity Duo does not encode voter choices in QR codes and the system does not use QR codes to tabulate votes; instead, to tabulate voter choices, Verity Scan devices use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to interpret the same human-readable text that the voter can verify, directly from the page.

Verity Duo devices are typically set up in polling places in series, i.e. in a “daisy chain” (like Christmas lights), on a single long chain of connected cords. The chain of voting devices is, in turn, connected to a poll worker console called the Verity Controller. After voters check-in at the polling place, poll workers use the Controller to select the ballot style that each voter needs. Poll workers also issue each voter a randomly-generated, anonymous five-digit Access Code, which corresponds to each voter’s ballot style. To start a ballot marking session on an individual Duo device, inputs the Access Code, followed by a blank sheet of thermal paper, and the ballot is displayed.

Verity Duo can also be configured with additional accessible features for voters with disabilities. Duo supports accessible voting through an optional tethered/attached Audio-Tactile Interface (ATI), which is a “game controller” style console that includes a rotary wheel to move through the ballot, a select button to mark choices, and other tactile navigation buttons. The ATI can also support headphones for voters who are blind or visually impaired, or paddles or sip-and-puff devices for voters with dexterity impairments.

In 2021, Hart InterCivic partnered with Brother Mobile Solutions to create the Verity Duo Go, Verity Duo Go, an accessory for the Verity Duo and Verity Duo Standalone, which allows the device to be used for curbside and drive-through voting. Like the full-size Verity Duo, the Verity Duo Go includes a PocketJet 7 series mobile printer to create printed vote records (PVRs).

Voting Process

Verity Duo Summary Ballot
  • After you check in, a poll worker will direct you to a voting station and set you up with the ballot marking device.
  • Select “Get Started” by touching the screen.

 

 

 

 

  • Make your selections by touching the screen. Touch the box next to the candidate or response.
  • Use the NEXT and BACK buttons at the bottom of the screen to switch between contests.

 

 

 

 

 

  • At any time while you are voting, you can review your selections by pressing the “Review your choices” button at the bottom of the screen.
  • Check that you have voted all the contests you want to vote and confirm your selections. You do not have to vote every contest.
  •  Check the maximum number of candidates you are allowed to select for each office. You may select fewer than the maximum number of candidates.
  • To make a change, touch the button “Return to ballot” and switch to the contest you want to change using the NEXT and BACK buttons.

 

 

  • If you are satisfied with your selections, touch the PRINT button on the screen.
  • Your ballot will print to the printer connected to the ballot marking device.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Confirm your selections on the printed ballot.
  • If you want to make a change after the ballot is printed, you will need help from a poll worker to start over.
  • Give your spoiled ballot to the poll worker.

 

 

 

 

 

  • Take your printed ballot to the ballot scanner and insert it into the scanner.
    • A poll worker may be nearby to help you.
  • If you see a message saying the ballot was NOT successfully cast, you may need to review your ballot again.
    • If you do not understand the message on the screen, ask for help from a poll worker.
  • Your ballot is cast when you see a confirmation screen on the scanner.

 

Videos

Hart InterCivic Verity Duo Voting Instructions

Hart InterCivic Verity Duo Voting Instructions

Manufacturer Profile

15500 Wells Port Drive
Austin, TX 78728
Phone: 512.252.6400, 800.223.HART
Fax: 512.252.6466

hartintercivic.com

Hart entered the elections industry in 1912, printing ballots for Texas counties. The company, formerly a division of Hart Graphics, Inc., was established as a subsidiary called Hart Forms & Services in 1989, which, in 1995, changed its name to Hart Information Services, Inc. During the next five years, Hart Information Services acquired three election services providers: Texas County Printing & Services, Computer Link Corporation, and Worldwide Election Systems. Worldwide was the developer of the eSlate, Hart’s direct recording electronic (DRE) voting solution. In 1999, the company spun off completely from Hart Graphics and in 2000, the company became Hart InterCivic Inc.