'Panic buttons', SWAT teams: US braces for election unrest

A member of the US Secret Service closes a security gate along Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House on the day before the US presidential election in Washington, US. - Photo: Reuters

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

The 2024 US presidential campaign has been a particularly volatile one, and security for Election Day on Tuesday (Nov 5) is being ramped up to unprecedented levels given concerns over possible civil unrest, election chicanery, or violence against election workers.