South Carolina’s controversial elections director has resigned.

Marci Andino came under fire early in her tenure for buying an expensive electronic voting system from an out-of-state manufacturer with whom she had been associated.

Lawmakers questioned why she did not seek bids from in-state voting machine makers such as one in West Columbia that made a competitive system.

She came under fire again last year for seeking to:

• Expand access to absentee early voting.

• Increase mail-in ballots.

• Let voters request absentee ballots online.

• Remove the witness signature requirement on absentee ballots.

Lawmakers saw these as high risk ways to run elections and invite voter fraud.

She defended the proposals as needed to limit the spread of covid-19.

Her last day on the job was Friday, Oct. 1, said state elections’ spokesman Chris Whitmire.

Andino has accepted a new job as the director of the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, part of the nonprofit Center for Internet Security near Albany, NY.

Voter Services Director Howard Knabb will serve as interim director until commissioners find a permanent replacement, Whitmire said.

It’s unlikely the commission will find Andino’s permanent replacement before November when the US House, state House, municipalities and counties hold local elections, The State newspaper said.

“They’re obviously important and we do support those elections,” Whitmire said. “It’s a good starting point for anybody who’s in the chair.”