Misleading: Armed guards are being posted at post offices and polling places to intimidate voters before the election.

“Armed guards are being posted at post offices and polling places to intimidate voters before the election.”

The facts: Armed guards are being added at some postal facilities, but not at polling places, and no one has tied them to the election. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Postal Service's law enforcement arm, is adding armed and unarmed contract guards at postal facilities. Union notices reported by Raw Story put it at about 972 armed guards across 54 facilities, 18 of them new this summer. A bulk mail sorting facility in Denver is among them. The Inspection Service says it is part of a multi-year security plan to deter theft and tampering, not a response to any threat or to the election. Guards watch entrances and parking lots, check IDs, and report suspicious activity. They do not handle mail or make arrests. Polling places are run by local election officials, and no guards at polling places have been reported. No incident of voter intimidation has been documented. The Inspection Service has not named most sites, and some election officials question the timing. If anyone interferes with your vote or your ballot, call 866-OUR-VOTE.