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FBI Pittsburgh Helping To Safeguard Your Vote For November Election

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- No matter how you vote or who you vote for, everyone is counting on a fair and secure election.

But who investigates issues regarding election security and what is being done to safeguard your vote? On Tuesday, some of the nation's top officials for federal cybersecurity reassured voters that the 2020 presidential election is safe from foreign interference.

"I'm here today to tell you my confidence in the security of your vote has never been higher. That's because of an all-of-nation unprecedented security effort over the last several years," said Christopher Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in a joint video posted to Twitter.

Federal authorities said that despite continued efforts by hackers to spread misinformation, sway voters and collect sensitive presidential campaign intelligence, they remain confident about election security.

"Despite these nefarious efforts, our elections system remains resilient," said William Evanina, director of the United States National Counterintelligence and Security Center.

The FBI is the primary investigative agency for election crimes. Christopher Wray, director of the FBI, said, "Safeguarding your vote is and will continue to be one of our highest priorities."

The bureau's Pittsburgh office spoke with the secretary of state on Friday about plans to enhance security, according to Assistant Special Agent Douglas Olson.

"We're limited on what we can do as federal officials in the course of an election that's executed at the state level," said Olson.

Local FBI agents are monitoring crimes — including voter intimidation, fraud and campaign finance — and exchanging information with the state.

"They've been kind enough to embed an FBI person in their elections operation center," said Olson.

During election week, the bureau will have command posts and 24-hour operations helping local law enforcement investigate any potential election crimes.

"We're going to assist them with communication and look for that federal nexus and help them in any way to execute a good election here in Pennsylvania," Olson told KDKA.

According to the FBI, the exchange of information will help special agents determine whether federal election crimes were committed.

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