(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)State capitols across the nation stepped up security Monday, deploying National Guard units, SWAT teams and extra police officers while several legislatures convened amid heightened safety concerns following last week's violence at the U.S. Capitol. Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee activated hundreds of National Guard troops to help state police keep order at the state Capitol. Oregon state police will conduct building security training for those who work at the state Capitol, including journalists, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Michigan lawmakers are to return to session Wednesday.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)NEW YORK – After months of avoiding direct contact with voters because of the pandemic, Joe Biden's campaign is about to launch in-person canvassing efforts across several battleground states. The change also reflects a sense of rising urgency as polls tighten in key states just a month before Election Day. “Our voter contact operation is the most innovative and technologically advanced of any presidential campaign in history, and it has been thriving in this unprecedented environment," Biden campaign manager Jenn O'Malley Dillon said. Campaign officials and volunteers acknowledge their virtual-contact strategy had holes they're hoping to fill with in-person conversations. Biden volunteers in Pennsylvania and Nevada began dropping campaign literature at voters' homes just last weekend, although they were instructed to avoid any direct conversations.