Washington Governor Jay Inslee, a Democrat, has activated the National Guard to be on standby next week in case of election-related violent civil unrest.
Seattle has a hub of chaos during the Black Lives Matter riots over the death of George Floyd. An explosive was also detonated in a Vancouver ballot drop box earlier this week.
The Guard will be on standby from November 4 through November 7.
“This is a purely precautionary measure taken in response to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s nationwide warnings regarding threats to election infrastructure and other recent activities that have occurred in southwestern Washington,” the governor’s office said in a press release.
In his letter to Major General Gent Welsh, Gov. Inslee wrote: “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 of the type described in RCW 38.08.040 occurring within Washington State leading up to, on, and potentially extending beyond November 5, 2024, the date of the 2024 general election.”
“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has warned that threats to election infrastructure during the 2024 election cycle remains high,” the letter continued.
Gov. Inslee cited the destruction of ballot boxes in his state and Oregon as an indication of what may come.
“The southwest region of Washington state has already experienced specific instances of election-related unrest. On October 28, 2024, an incendiary device was set off in a drop box in Vancouver, Washington, damaging or destroying hundreds of ballots, and a similar device targeted a ballot box in Portland, Oregon.”
The governor stated that “preparation to respond to civil unrest of the type already experienced will also require state level coordination and the activation of additional support functions within Washington’s Emergency Management System.”