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Executive Director of the South Carolina State Election Commission Under Investigation For Misconduct - Reporting Citizens To DHS Over Their Concerns About Election Integrity Among Issues

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Executive Director of the South Carolina State Election Commission Howard “Howie” Knapp is currently under investigation for misconduct.  Some of the items for which he is under investigation include reporting citizens to not only the South Carolina Law Enforcement Department but also to Homeland Security who were genuinely concerned about election issues and reported them to the agency, as well as getting involved in lawsuits with citizens who requested Freedom of Information Act information, and ignoring a 2022 questionable audit.

Palmetto State Watch has this breaking story.

The Executive Director of the South Carolina State Election Commission, Howard “Howie” Knapp, is under investigation by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) regarding allegations of misconduct. This investigation was requested by the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office on March 29, 2024. SLED confirmed via email that this investigation is active and ongoing.

Robert Kittle, the Communications Director at the SC Attorney General’s office, denied any comment or confirmation as of January 6th, 2025.

Knapp has been the executive director of the SC State Election Commission as the agency has consistently resisted efforts to ensure election integrity, even when issues were reported. These issues include (but certainly are not limited to) ignoring a questionable 2022 auditreporting concerned citizens to the Department of Homeland Security and SLED simply because these citizens reported election issues to the agency, as well as getting involved in several lawsuits with citizens who requested previously FOIA-able information that provide a level of transparency in South Carolina’s election process.

This current investigation not only raises eyebrows considering Knapp’s high level position, but brings to mind another investigation involving the AG’s office and Howard Knapp, except this prior investigation and subsequent charges seemed to have disappeared right before Knapp accepted his current position as executive director. There is no evidence currently available that support that these investigations are related.

The Investigation That…Disappeared?

Palmetto State Watch Foundation obtained a GoFundMe page that was created by Howard Knapp’s sister-in-law on January 5, 2019 and was last reported on the internet by the Wayback Machine around June 2021. The description contains highly detailed information about Knapp’s arrest, charges, and includes several photos that confirm this is the same Howard Knapp that currently serves as the Executive Director of the South Carolina State Election Commission.

Fundraiser for Howard Knapp by Cindy Palyok Anderson _ Knapp Family Recovery Fund_Nightmare of InjusticeDownload

On March 16, 2018, several local news stations in South Carolina reported that ten men across the state had been arrested in a “child exploitation crackdown” that was known as Operation Southern Impact II. As reported by The State Newspaper, a 32-year-old Richland County man named Howard Knapp was arrested by the Richland County Sheriff’s Office and charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree. All cases were set to be prosecuted by the South Carolina Attorney General’s office.

2018 State article 3.16.18Download

However, it seems many of these articles published on March 16, 2018, were updated around the same time to remove only Howard Knapp’s name from the list. See the current version of this same State Newspaper article as updated on October 1, 2021.

2018 Child ex the state updated 10.1.21Download

These online removal dates are important to note, as Howard Knapp officially became the Interim Director of the South Carolina State Elections Commission during October 2021, according to the SEC’s own press release.

Original Post Remains on SC AG’s Facebook

While it seems Knapp’s name has been scrubbed from other documents and announcements of this child exploitation crackdown, the Official South Carolina Attorney General Facebook page still lists the original post from March 16, 2018 with Howard’s name included.

AG Sends Knapp An Odd Letter During 2024 Elections

On October 24, 2024, Attorney General Alan Wilson released the following letter that he sent to Howard Knapp leading up to the 2024 general election, reminding Knapp of “certain state law obligations regarding election integrity”:

AG letter to Knapp 10.24.24Download

We wonder if this letter has a deeper meaning now knowing that the AG’s office requested an investigation into Knapp regarding misconduct allegations months leading up to this publication.

The Role of an Election Director

The duties of a state executive election director is one of the most consequential roles within a state. This position controls how elections are run in South Carolina, which decides who will be making daily decisions that impact your life. As we have learned in both US elections and foreign elections such as Brazil or Venezuela, whoever is in charge of elections will decide the fate of a state/country.

This position requires a strong, trustworthy person who understands the importance of integrity, which why we scrutinize government officials, especially the head of South Carolina’s elections.

We reached out to Howard Knapp for comment but have not received a response. This story is still developing so keep an eye out for further updates.

Article posted with permission from Sons of Liberty Media



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Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world. Anyone can join. Anyone can contribute. Anyone can become informed about their world. "United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.


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