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by WILL FOLKS
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The chairman of South Carolina’s election commission (SCVotes) stepped down from his post this week – having helped guide the agency through a tumultuous period of scandal and intrigue revolving around its former executive director (and his top lieutenant).
Both of those bureaucrats have been terminated and criminally indicted as part of an ongoing investigation into a wide range of allegations.
Former U.S. district and appeals court judge Dennis Shedd resigned his post at SCVotes’ monthly commission meeting Monday morning (January 21, 2026), saying the agency was back on solid footing under its new executive director – Jenny Wooten.
“The agency is running really well now,” Shedd told reporters during one of his post-meeting press gaggles, which have become emblematic of SCVotes’ new open door policy.
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Shedd and Wooten have ushered in an era of unprecedented transparency at the Palmetto State’s elections agency, opening its doors to mainstream media, new media and political blogs in an effort to restore public trust following the scandals involving former director Howie Knapp and his top deputy, Paige Salonich.
Knapp was charged in October with eight counts of using of his official position for financial gain, one count of accessory after the fact, one embezzlement charge and one misconduct in office charge. Salonich was charged with criminal wiretapping after she allegedly placed a recording device in the commission’s meeting room in an attempt to surreptitiously record its confidential deliberations.
There are other allegations against the two bureaucrats, as well.
Shedd slammed Knapp last fall for misleading commissioners, wasting tax dollars, falsifying records and creating what he referred to as a “toxic” and “hostile” workplace at the agency.
“There was something wrong with the agency,” he told reporters this week. “I didn’t know who I could talk to and trust.”
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RELATED | SCVOTES’ EX-DIRECTOR, TOP DEPUTY ARRESTED
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In addition to praising Wooten for her role in guiding SCVotes through the aftermath of the Knapp scandal, Shedd singled out the agency’s senior paralegal, Madelyn Chavis, and executive assistant, Elizabeth Harrell, for their work.
“These have been people of integrity, dedicated workers,” Shedd said of the trio.
Shedd also noted the assistance of whistleblowers within the agency who helped ferret out Knapp and Salonich’s alleged misconduct.
“We had whistleblowers in this agency who shared information with me,” he added. “Some did it openly, some of them I still don’t know who they are.”
He also praised “many members of the media” who were helpful in exposing the alleged misconduct.
“The press drove those bigger issues,” Shedd said.
According to Shedd, SCVotes must be above reproach given the critical role it plays in upholding other Palmetto State institutions.
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“This is the agency that gives legitimacy to every other agency in state government,” he said, urging SCVotes to continue in the path of transparency under its new board chairman.
Local election officials who attended the commission meeting praised Shedd for his efforts.
“The stability you brought certainly made us feel much more confident in what was coming out of the agency,” Berkeley County board of elections chairman Lee Dixon said.
Shortly after Shedd made his announcement, S.C. governor Henry McMaster appointed Midlands attorney Robert Bolchoz as the commission’s new chairman, hailing him as “a widely respected attorney and has valuable legal experience handling tough election issues with the commission as well as having served in leadership positions at state agencies.”
Bolchoz was previously tapped by McMaster to lead the board of the former S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC). In addition to his experience in private practice, he has served multiple stints as a prosecutor in the S.C. attorney general’s office and the S.C. ninth circuit solicitor’s office.
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JUSTICE DEPARTMENT UPDATE…
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Prior to resigning as chairman of the commission, Shedd gave an update on the status of SCVotes’ ongoing negotiations with Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the sharing of the Palmetto State’s voter rolls.
DOJ has requested the names, addresses, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, and Social Security digits of more than 3.3 million registered voters — data the agency claims is essential in enforcing Trump’s March 25, 2025 executive order targeting “non-citizen voter registration.”
McMaster and other GOP officials have urged the state to comply, but Democrats have engaged in litigation seeking to prevent the state from doing so.
“We are not ready at this point to have any more public discussion – and certainly not a public vote – regarding any agreement with them,” Shedd said, referring to the status of the DOJ request.
According to Shedd, Wooten and her staff have been dealing with the federal government on the issue, citing significant progress in those discussions.
“The proposal that DOJ has offered us – there are a number of things that are good,” Shedd said. “For example, they seek less information than the commission has already shared with 25 other states.”
Shedd also indicated both sides had agreed to data transfer protocols aimed at safeguarding the integrity of the information.
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INVESTIGATION UPDATE…
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As FITSNews has previously reported, the investigation into Knapp and Salonich is ongoing. Agents of the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) have not finished conducting their inquires into the potential criminal conduct of these two terminated bureaucrats. Meanwhile, the office of S.C. inspector general Brian Lamkin confirmed last fall it was investigating “agency operations and procedures” tied to Knapp and Salonich’s reign over the agency.
According to our sources, that investigation includes a controversial “stopgap” loan for $32 million to purchase new voting machines for the state.
During this week’s commission meeting, Alaina Moore – co-founder of Palmetto State Watch – questioned Shedd over the voting machine contract and the inspector general’s ongoing investigation of the agency.
“They have been working on that issue,” Shedd confirmed to Moore. “I believe they will be coming to a conclusion soon. They’re very diligent and they’re very thorough. I would not be surprised if they haven’t already finished their work.”
Wooten said the agency had not received formal notification that Lamkin’s office had completed its investigation, however.
“We don’t have a final report,” she said.
Members of our audience seeking additional information from this week’s SCVotes hearing should check out Moore’s coverage by clicking here.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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