Hundreds of National Guardsmen ready for election support across the country
At least 245 National Guard personnel across 18 states and Washington, D.C., have been either activated by their governors or are on standby, according to Pentagon officials.
Many are helping state governments with cybersecurity efforts, while others are there to assist law enforcement and first responders in the event of protests or security incidents.
There are 126 personnel activated in Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oregon, Wisconsin and Washington, a U.S. official confirmed to ABC News.
There are 119 personnel on standby in Colorado, D.C., Florida, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia, according to the official.
That amounts to an average of about 13 personnel currently activated or on standby per state/district.
These figures could shift at the discretion of the governors, the official said.
The move to utilize the National Guard comes after authorities said ballot boxes in Oregon and Washington were set on fire with incendiary devices last month. The governors of both states said they were putting Guard units on standby to aid local law enforcement. Nevada's governor told local reporters he wanted Guard personnel on standby in Las Vegas and Carson City.
In D.C., Guard personnel will be on standby specifically to assist with the city’s fire and medical services Tuesday through Nov. 13, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a briefing Monday.
-ABC News' Anne Flaherty and Matt Seyler