Washington, D.C.
Office of Public Affairs
(202) 278-3519
September 14, 2020

FBI Washington Field Office Educates Citizens About Election Security and Foreign Malign Influence in Advance of the November Election

Election Day 2020 is less than two months away, and the FBI is charged with protecting the rights of all Americans, including their right to vote.

From now until November 3, every American has a role to play in protecting the election from threats against the democratic process. Across the country, the FBI has initiated public awareness messaging about election security online at fbi.gov and across our social media platforms.

The goal of this social media campaign is to increase the public’s awareness about threats to the upcoming election and to inform Americans about what they can do to help the FBI ensure that the elections are safe and secure. These threats include crimes the FBI has been charged with investigating for decades, including campaign finance crimes; voter/ballot fraud; civil rights violations, cyber threats targeting the election process; and the potential for foreign influence on the democratic process, elected officials and institutions.

“Protecting our electoral process from interference by criminals and nefarious actors is a top priority of the FBI’s Washington Field Office,” said James A. Dawson, acting assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “The FBI will continue to engage with law enforcement partners and election security officials in preparation for our upcoming national elections. The FBI is committed to ensuring safe and secure elections, and to preventing the activities of any foreign actors who may attempt to influence our elections for their own political or national interests. The FBI will swiftly investigate election crimes, but we need the public’s help. We encourage all citizens to call their local FBI field office if they have information concerning an election crime. The FBI cannot succeed without your help.”

The FBI is the primary investigative agency responsible for engaging with local and state election security counterparts to safeguard election integrity. The FBI is also the lead federal agency for identifying and combating malign foreign influence operations targeting our democratic institutions through the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF). The FITF brings together all FBI authorities and capabilities from multiple divisions to include Counterintelligence; Cyber; Criminal; and Counterterrorism assets to coordinate and work together to combat the threat.

The FITF is committed to providing accessible tools and resources to all levels of government through both in-person briefs and online tools, such as our Protected Voices campaign, found at fbi.gov/protectedvoices. Protected Voices is a public initiative which provides political campaigns, organizations, and other election security stakeholders with tools and resources to protect against malign foreign influence and cyber security threats.

In addition to protecting the November 2020 election, the FITF remains focused on persistent malign foreign influence efforts targeting our democratic institutions and processes outside of election events and works closely to address threats targeting the democratic process and American elections.

If you have information about allegations of election crime or voter fraud, please call your local FBI field office. The Washington Field Office can be reached at 202-278-2000.

Additional information on the FBI’s role in election security and access to educational resources about how to protect your voice and vote, can be found by following the FBI’s Washington Field Office at @FBIWFO.