Head of South Carolina elections fired after voting machine contract had unexplained $4M overrun

[ad_1] COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Election Fee is attempting to determine how a contract for brand new machines for voting for $28 million ended up costing the company $4 million extra.

The investigation into shopping for the three,200 poll scanners in 2024 has led to the firing of the pinnacle of the election company and the second in command and price a 3rd staffer his job. And it is not the one drawback. with the Election Fee, Chairman Dennis Shedd stated at Wednesday's month-to-month assembly.

There was a recording system hidden within the room earlier than the commissioners met behind closed doorways to debate former Government Director Howard Knapp's destiny and what Shedd known as Knapp's “very shut good friend and fellow worker” Paige Salonich.

Salonich was the company's deputy director earlier than officers stated she was fired for being caught on video planting the recorder and a issuing profane outburst after listening to Knapp had been let go.

“We're discovering out new stuff that outdated administration did,” Shedd stated as he took time through the assembly to reply questions from reporters.

Shedd insisted any misconduct didn't impact the integrity of any election.

Shedd did say no less than three state businesses are investigating the contract and different issues, and he doesn't know what occurred to the $4 million distinction between the $28 million commissioners authorised and the $32 million licensed to be paid for the machines,

Knapp has not responded to requests for remark since he was fired, and Salonich's lawyer stated he had no remark Wednesday. Salonich did sue the Election Fee shortly after she was fired, saying the company launched embarrassing particulars about her.

Knapp was fired on the Election Fee's September assembly. That led to a month of hypothesis on whether or not he was let go due to the state's ongoing negotiations with the U.S. Division of Justice over a request for information about all South Carolina voters — talks which might be persevering with.

Shedd stated Knapp's place on releasing the data was just like his: the data could possibly be launched with a strict settlement on protecting it safe. Shedd stated the firing had nothing to do with negotiations over the info.

Commissioners mentioned the request behind closed doorways at Wednesday's assembly. Shedd stated they need a legally binding settlement that protects the privateness of the info, which incorporates names, addresses and different information the state sells together with data it would not like driver's license numbers and the final 4 digits of Social Safety numbers.

“I have been hacked. My state tax return was hacked,” Shedd stated, recalling in 2012 when hackers stole private information from greater than 3.6 million folks in South Carolina by acquiring Social Safety numbers and bank card data from tax returns.

Shedd stated the state can arrange a system just like what it has with about half the states within the U.S. They share the info in tightly managed settings to allow them to ferret out folks registered to vote in a couple of state.

South Carolina's voter information “has already been shared with about 25 different states," Shedd stated. “However that was shared below very strict safety protocols.”

Quite a few states have pushed again more durable in opposition to the Justice Division request. At the least eight have been sued by the federal authorities for not complying with the request.