EAC Certifies Hart InterCivic’s Verity Vanguard™ to VVSG 2.0

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 9, 2025--

Hart InterCivic announces the historic VVSG 2.0 Election Assistance Commission (EAC) certification of its new product line, Vanguard. VVSG 2.0 is the latest set of national voting system standards and is the result of years of focused effort by federal, state, and industry experts dedicated to enhancing and safeguarding the nation's election systems. In the EAC’s own words, “The VVSG 2.0 represents a significant advancement in defining standards that will serve as the cornerstone of the next generation of voting systems. It lays the groundwork for 21st century voting systems that are desperately needed with improved cybersecurity, accessibility, and usability requirements.”

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Hart’s new Vanguard voting system also meets the challenge of the recent elections related Executive Order, making it the only voting system available in the United States that delivers on both the latest EAC standard and the conditions of the Executive Order (EO). This EO, 14248 “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections” states:

“…voting systems should not use a ballot in which a vote is contained within a barcode or quick-response code in the vote counting process… and should provide a voter-verifiable paper record to prevent fraud or mistake…”

Hart's achievement as the first voting technology manufacturer to attain VVSG 2.0 certification highlights its dedication to election officials and their ability to deliver safe, secure, and transparent elections. By completing the rigorous penetration testing, usability testing, and stringent third-party functional testing called for in the latest standards, Hart demonstrates its commitment to enhancing voter confidence. Hart believes the EAC’s certification serves as a seal of trust, raising the bar for the entire election industry.

Introducing Vanguard: Defensible, Efficient, Adoptable

Vanguard is a platform for smart elections that fits seamlessly into election officials’ existing processes and technology, enabling them to move faster at every step of the election cycle. Vanguard's purpose-built devices and enhanced security features make elections more defensible. By providing true voter-verifiable ballots with no voter selections in barcodes or QR codes, Vanguard is primed to significantly increase voter confidence in election results and sets Hart’s products ahead of others in the market. The importance of this commitment to transparency has been echoed in the recent national focus on enhancing voting system security.

Backed by market research, customer feedback, and significant investments in product development, this suite of election technology provides end-to-end election management with industry-leading security and innovations that exceed the latest EAC standards.

Boasting the smallest footprint in the market, it is easy to store, transport, and deploy. Additionally, Vanguard offers the widest range of accessibility features, designed in partnership with nationally recognized accessibility organizations.

“When the election industry began conversations about VVSG 2.0, Hart was eager to invest in the development of a new system because we recognized the need for voting systems that can withstand the evolving challenges of modern elections. With Vanguard, we are leading the industry with the first VVSG 2.0 certified voting system, are setting a new standard for election integrity and voter confidence, and are well-positioned for any future revisions to the standard. We applaud the EAC's commitment and partnership in bettering elections, and we are excited to continue our leadership in revolutionizing the security, accessibility, and transparency of U.S. elections.” - Julie Mathis, President and CEO of Hart InterCivic

Future Ready

Hart’s legacy product line, Verity, was the first in the industry to embrace security best practices like Secure Boot and Allow Listing, along with utilizing optical character recognition (OCR), instead of encoding voter selections in bar codes. With Vanguard, Hart continues these innovations and introduces new advanced features like Vanguard ID – the patented “always-on” device smart label and a layered, hardware-augmented Secure Boot to enhance security and reduce startup time.

"VVSG 2.0 may be new to the industry, but it is not new to Hart or Hart's voting systems. Hart's systems have always exceeded VVSG requirements, and Hart continues to innovate beyond the EAC’s standards. Vanguard is already ready for VVSG 2.1- in that it meets nearly all of the requirements of the EAC’s draft for a VVSG 2.1 standard. This is one more example of Hart's unwavering commitment to revolutionizing election technology, ensuring that every vote is secure, accessible, and transparent. Hart is proud to lead the industry with advanced solutions that set a new standard for election integrity and voter confidence." - Jim Canter, Chief Technology Officer of Hart InterCivic

Hart is a Trusted Provider

The goal of the EAC’s VVSG certification process is to improve the overall performance of election administration and the integrity of elections. EAC certification is crucial for voting technology companies as it establishes a new benchmark for security, transparency, and accessibility in elections. This certification underscores Hart's position as a trusted provider of election technology and enhances voter confidence and election security across the U.S.

Learn more about the Vanguard product line by visiting Hart's website, www.hartintercivic.com, or contacting the sales team, 800.223.4278.

About Hart InterCivic

Hart InterCivic, founded over 110 years ago in Austin, Texas, is a leading provider of election technology, serving customers across 20 states. Guided by principles like integrity, innovation, and intentionality, Hart enables election officials to conduct elections confidently and deliver accurate results with ease. Secure systems create ballots, capture voter choices, and audit results, improving public processes and systems. Hart is inspired by the meaningful responsibility shared with customers, delivering the best outcomes for customers, the company, and the public good.

EAC Certifies Hart InterCivic’s Verity Vanguard™ to VVSG 2.0

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Ahn Sung-ki, one of South Korean cinema’s biggest stars whose prolific 60-year career and positive, gentle public image earned him the nickname “The Nation’s Actor,” died Monday. He was 74.

Ahn, who had suffered blood cancer for years, was pronounced dead at Seoul's Soonchunhyang University Hospital, his agency, the Artist Company, and hospital officials said.

“We feel deep sorrow at the sudden, sad news, pray for the eternal rest of the deceased and offer our heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family members," the Artist Company said in a statement.

President Lee Jae Myung issued a condolence message saying Ahn provided many people with comfort, joy and time for reflection. “I already miss his warm smile and gentle voice,” Lee wrote on Facebook.

Born to a filmmaker in the southeastern city of Daegu in 1952, Ahn made his debut as a child actor in the movie “The Twilight Train” in 1957. He subsequently appeared in about 70 movies as a child actor before he left the film industry to live an ordinary life.

In 1970, Ahn entered Seoul’s Hankuk University of Foreign Studies as a Vietnamese major. Ahn said he graduated with top honors but failed to land jobs at big companies, who likely saw his Vietnamese major largely useless after a communist victory in the Vietnam War in 1975.

Ahn returned to the film industry in 1977 believing he could still excel in acting. In 1980, he rose to fame for his lead role in Lee Jang-ho’s “Good, Windy Days,” a hit coming-of-age movie about the struggle of working-class men from rural areas during the country’s rapid rise. Ahn won the best new actor award in the prestigious Grand Bell Awards, the Korean version of the Academy Awards.

He later starred in a series of highly successful and critically acclaimed movies, sweeping best actor awards and becoming arguably the country’s most popular actor in much of the 1980-90s.

Some of his memorable roles included a Buddhist monk in 1981’s “Mandara,” a beggar in 1984’s “Whale Hunting,” a Vietnam War veteran-turned-novelist in 1992’s “White Badge,” a corrupt police officer in 1993’s “Two Cops,” a murderer in 1999’s “No Where To Hide,” a special forces trainer in 2003’s “Silmido” and a devoted celebrity manager in 2006’s “Radio Star.”

Ahn had collected dozens of trophies in major movie awards in South Korea, including winning the Grand Bell Awards for best actor five times, an achievement no other South Korean actors have matched yet.

Ahn built up an image as a humble, trustworthy and family-oriented celebrity who avoided major scandals and maintained a quiet, stable personal life. Past public surveys chose Ahn as South Korea’s most beloved actor and deserving of the nickname “The Nation’s Actor.”

Ahn said he earlier felt confined with his “The Nation's Actor” labeling but eventually thought that led him down the right path. In recent years, local media has given other stars similar honorable nicknames, but Ahn was apparently the first South Korean actor who was dubbed “The Nation's Actor.”

“I felt I should do something that could match that title. But I think that has eventually guided me on a good direction,” Ahn said in an interview with Yonhap news agency in 2023.

In media interviews, Ahn couldn’t choose what his favorite movie was, but said that his role as a dedicated, hardworking manger for a washed-up rock singer played by Park Jung-hoon resembled himself in real life the most.

Ahn was also known for his reluctance to do love scenes. He said said he was too shy to act romantic scenes and sometimes asked directors to skip steamy scenes if they were only meant to add spice to movies.

“I don’t do well on acting like looking at someone who I don’t love with loving eyes and kissing really romantically. I feel shy and can’t express such emotions well,” Ahn said in an interview with the Shindonga magazine in 2007. “Simply, I’m clumsy on that. So I couldn’t star in such movies a lot. But ultimately, that was a right choice for me.”

Ahn is survived by his wife and their two sons. A mourning station at a Seoul hospital was to run until Friday.

FILE - South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki smiles for a photo on the red carpet at the 56th Daejong Film Awards ceremony in Seoul, South Korea, June 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

FILE - South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki attends an event as part of the 11th Pusan International Film Festival in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 13, 2006. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)