(BIVN) – The Federal Bureau of Investigation in Honolulu is standing up an election command post, starting today, in preparation for the November 5 election.

The FBI says the command post will be staffed 24 hours a day to “provide a centralized location for assessing election-related threats in our area of responsibility.” The action is in keeping with standard election day protocol, the FBI says.

The FBI says its duty is “to plan for a host of potential scenarios related to election fraud, voter suppression, foreign malign influence, malicious cyber activity against election infrastructure, and threats to election workers.”

From the FBI office in Honolulu:

For decades, the FBI has served as the primary agency responsible for investigating allegations of federal election crimes, including campaign finance violations, ballot/voter fraud, and civil rights violations. In close partnership with Department of Justice (DOJ), the FBI established the Election Threats Task Force to identify and address reported threats targeting election workers. 

FBI Honolulu takes our responsibility very seriously and works closely with our federal, state, and local partners to identify and stop any potential threats to public safety. We gather and analyze intelligence to determine whether individuals might be motivated to take violent action for any reason, including due to concerns about the election. 

It is vital the FBI, our law enforcement partners, and the public work together to protect our communities as Americans exercise their right to vote. We encourage the public to remain vigilant and immediately report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. The FBI takes all threats of violence seriously, including threats targeting those who do the critical work of administering free and fair elections throughout the U.S. 

The Justice Department has long recognized that the states—not the federal government—are responsible for administering elections, determining the validity of votes, and tabulating the results, with challenges handled by the appropriate election administrators, officials, legislatures, and courts. The department’s role is limited to investigating and prosecuting violations of federal election laws and deterring criminal conduct. 

FBI Honolulu encourages citizens to report allegations of election fraud and other election abuses to FBI Honolulu directly at (808) 566-4300.