The interim director of the State Election Commission was chosen on Tuesday to lead the South Carolina agency full time.
A State Election Commission spokesman said board members voted unanimously to promote Jenny Wooten to executive director.
Wooten accepted the job, which carries a minimum salary of $140,000.
Wooten's promotion is subject to confirmation by the state Senate.
The Legislature returns to session Jan. 13.
Wooten was hired by the State Election Commission in 2022 to serve as policy and outreach coordinator. Prior to her appointment as interim director, Wooten was the agency's chief of staff.
“Ensuring the impartiality, accessibility, and integrity of South Carolina’s elections is essential to maintaining public faith in our democracy,” Wooten said in a statement Tuesday. “I’m grateful to the Commission for the trust they have placed in me as our agency strives to uphold that mission.”
If confirmed, Wooten will succeed former Director Howard Knapp, who was fired back in September and jailed a month later on misconduct in office, embezzlement and other charges.
State Election Commission Chairman Dennis Shedd told reporters at an Oct. 15 meeting that Knapp was removed for "inappropriate conduct." He said that included misusing agency money for personal reasons and "conspiring" with other management-level staff to "falsify documentation" that the commission was seeking and "conspiring" with those employees to lie that they had falsified documentation.
Shedd also said Knapp's leadership style created a "toxic and perhaps a hostile work environment."
"This is all about politics," Knapp's attorney Joe McCulloch told reporters after his bond hearing in October. "We look forward to a very public trial. See you there."
Knapp's former deputy executive director, Margaret Paige Salonich, was also arrested and charged with wiretapping.
A third State Election Commission employee, former spokesman John Michael Catalano, resigned on Oct. 10.
Knapp and Salonich's first court appearance is Dec. 19.
