‘Panic buttons’ and SWAT teams: US braces for election unrest

Panic buttons for poll workers, special weapons teams deployed on rooftops, and hundreds of National Guard personnel on standby.

The states of Oregon, Washington and Nevada have activated the National Guard – and the Pentagon says at least 17 states have placed a total of 600 National Guard troops on standby if needed.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has set up a national election command post in Washington to monitor threats 24 hours a day throughout election week, and security has been bolstered at many of the nearly 100,000 US polling stations.

Nineteen states have enacted election security enhancement laws since 2020, the National Conference of State Legislatures says.