Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has activated the National Guard to be on standby to assist law enforcement amid election-related violence concerns.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has activated members of the National Guard, placing them on standby to support local and state law enforcement in the event of an outbreak of election-related violence.
The “purely precautionary” deployment, as announced by Inslee on Nov. 1, follows warnings from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that the 2024 election cycle could be a “key event for possible violence” and foreign influence targeting election infrastructure.
The deployment also comes amid concerns following a recent incident in Vancouver, Washington, where an incendiary device detonated in a ballot drop box, damaging or destroying hundreds of ballots. A similar incident occurred in Portland, Oregon, earlier this week.
“Based upon general and specific information and concerns regarding the potential for violence or other unlawful activity related to the 2024 general election, I want to ensure we are fully prepared to respond to any potential additional civil unrest,” Inslee said in a letter to Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, the adjutant general for Washington state.
Welsh has been given the authority to determine how many National Guard service members would be activated, Inslee said, noting that the deployment will last four days, beginning on Nov. 4 and ending just after midnight on Nov. 7.
Inslee added that preparations for potential civil unrest will require coordination across various state agencies and departments, including activating extra resources and support roles within the Washington Emergency Management System. This suggests that the National Guard’s activation will be part of a more broadly coordinated response involving multiple state-level emergency resources to ensure public safety during the election period.
Besides the two acts of arson targeting ballot boxes in Portland and Washington, the Department of Justice announced at the beginning of October that an Afghan national had been arrested for plotting a terror attack on Election Day. As part of the plot, 27-year-old Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi allegedly took steps to sell off his family’s assets, move members of his family overseas, and acquire AK-47 rifles and ammunition.
By Tom Ozimek
