Voting Equipment

In plain words

The Board of Supervisors has been working on buying new voting equipment for the county.¹ Mr. Austin Schmidt said the current machines are "over 10 years old" and have had some failures.² County Administrator Tadlock gave the Board "an estimate from Hart Intercivic for voting equipment in the amount of $124,692.00."² On February 12, 2026, the Board voted 5-0 for a resolution saying Hart Intercivic Verity Vanguard is "the one source practicably available" for the upgraded equipment.³ The Board also voted 5-0 that day to approve the purchase for $124,692.00 "with the recent tax-exempt borrowing monies."⁴

The records have changed since this was written.

What’s happened

1. Wed21Oct

   Board of Supervisors

   • On the agenda: Voting Equipment- Master Agreement (agenda, Oct 21)
2. Thu12Feb

   Board of Supervisors · 2 votes

   Approved5–0Voting Equipment Quote$124,692.00

   Motion to approve the purchase of voting equipment from Hart Intercivic Verity Vanguard with the recent tax-exempt borrowing monies in the amount of $124,692.00.

   Moved by Long, seconded by Williams

   Minutes, Feb 12, p. 14Open it in the meeting →

   Authorized5–0Sole Source Resolution For Voting Equipment

   Motion to approve the resolution which indicates that Hart Intercivic Verity Vanguard is the one source practicably available to purchase the upgraded voting equipment. RESOLUTION WHEREAS,… Show allMotion to approve the resolution which indicates that Hart Intercivic Verity Vanguard is the one source practicably available to purchase the upgraded voting equipment. RESOLUTION WHEREAS, upon determination that there is only one source practicably available for that which is to be procured, a contract may be negotiated and awarded to that source without competitive sealed bidding or competitive negotiation as allowed by the Code of Virginia under §2.2-4303 E; and WHEREAS, the Virginia Department of Elections (ELECT), under the authority of the State Board of Elections (SBE), certifies voting systems for use in the Commonwealth per Code of Virginia § 24.2-629. Systems must comply with federal Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG), undergo state-level testing (including acceptance testing, logic and accuracy demonstrations, and security reviews), and receive SBE approval; and WHEREAS, Hart InterCivic’s Verity Vanguard is the successor to the widely used Verity Voting system in Virginia. Vanguard is built on Verity’s proven software platform with enhanced features, and it became the first voting system nationally certified to VVSG 2.0 by the EAC in July 2025. Key components include Vanguard Flex (universal ballot marking device), Vanguard Vault (scanner & box), Vanguard Results (tabulation), and accessories like Vanguard Boost (ballot on-demand printing solution); and WHEREAS, Verity Vanguard is a proprietary, integrated platform exclusively developed, owned, and supported by Hart InterCivic. It is the only U.S. voting system currently EAC- certified to VVSG 2.0 (as of December 2025), incorporating patented innovations such as Vanguard ID (always-on device smart labels) and hardware-augmented Secure Boot. No other manufacturer headquartered in the US offers an equivalent VVSG 2.0-certified system, making competitive alternatives unavailable; and WHEREAS, Virginia requires SBE certification, which builds on federal VVSG compliance. Vanguard’s VVSG 2.0 certification positions it uniquely for state approval under updated standards (Virginia Voting System Certification Standard, incorporating VVSG 2.0 elements as of 2025). Components, upgrades, or services must originate from Hart to maintain certification integrity. Third-party substitutes risk decertification or non-compliance with § 24.2-6; and WHEREAS, Vanguard has undergone rigorous EAC testing to VVSG 2.0, including enhanced cybersecurity protections and voter-verifiable paper records via optical character recognition (OCR)—avoiding barred practices like barcode-encoded votes. ELECT’s testing protocols (e.g., acceptance testing, mock elections) align with this configuration. Hart is the sole provider authorized to deliver and support VVSG 2.0-compliant updates, ensuring seamless integration with Virginia’s security plans and post-election audits; and WHEREAS, other certified systems in Virginia (e.g., from ES&S or Dominion) operate under older VVSG 1.x standards and are not compatible with Vanguard’s architecture, data formats, or VVSG 2.0 features. Vanguard systems will operate with some Verity elements already owned by Northumberland. Switching vendors or mixing components would require full system replacement, recertification, retraining, and significant delays—impractical for meeting VVSG 2.0 objectives; and WHEREAS, procuring Vanguard sole source ensures immediate access to the nation’s leading- edge voting technology, enhancing election integrity (e.g., compliance with recent executive orders on barcode restrictions), reducing risks, and minimizing costs versus delayed competitive bidding for non-existent equivalents. Hart’s established presence in Virginia localities supports reliable implementation. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Supervisors of Northumberland County, Virginia, authorizes the County Administrator to enter into a contract with Hart InterCivic for the purposes of upgrading the voting equipment. ADOPTED: February 12, 2026

   Moved by Harris, seconded by Long

   Minutes, Feb 12, p. 15Open it in the meeting →

3. Thu8Jan

   Board of Supervisors

   • On the agenda: Voting Equipment Quote (agenda, Jan 8)
4. Thu13Nov

   Board of Supervisors

   • On the agenda: Electoral Board Capital Improvement Request - Voting Equipment (agenda, Nov 13)

Meeting by meeting, newest first, in the records’ own words. Each vote names the minutes it’s written in.