Washington state activates National Guard in case of election unrest
The decision by Gov. Jay Inslee comes after ballot boxes were burned in his state and in Oregon, and amid broader concerns about election-related violence.
By Andrew Jeong November 2, 2024
Washington state will put National Guard members on standby in the week of the Nov. 5 general election, Gov. Jay Inslee (D) announced Friday, days after a ballot drop box in the state was burned by an incendiary device.
Inslee has given the state’s adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, discretion on how many troops to activate. The figure is fluid, and officials will not be disclosing specific numbers, a spokeswoman for the state’s military department said. The troops will be activated from Nov. 4 through Nov. 7 and will support law enforcement, protect key infrastructure and respond to any unrest.
Inslee’s office described the move as precautionary. But it noted that the Homeland Security Department has warned that the threat to election infrastructure during the 2024 election cycle is high, and mentioned this week’s burning of two ballot drop boxes — one in Vancouver, Washington, and a second in neighboring Portland, Oregon — as a reason for his caution.
In Portland, police are increasing staffing on Election Day in the following days “as a precaution.”
Washington state’s decision follows precautionary steps taken by state and local officials across the United States and reflects broader concerns across the country that violence may erupt around the election.
A Washington Post-Schar School poll of more than 5,000 registered voters conducted in the first half of October in six battleground states found that 57 percent of respondents are very or somewhat worried that supporters of former president Donald Trump would turn violent if he loses, compared with 31 percent who think Vice President Kamala Harris voters would resort to violence. Two-thirds of voters are not confident Trump would accept a loss, while a little more than two-thirds are confident Harris would accept defeat.
The apparent assassination attempts on Trump, as well as Trump’s continued embrace of violent rhetoric, misinformation spreading on social media and conservatives’ efforts to cast doubt on election integrity, have fueled those concerns.
At an early-voting site in San Antonio, a voter punched a poll worker who asked him to remove his MAGA hat, The Post reported. (Texas prohibits election slogans inside voting places. Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, called another voter a “patriot” for objecting to a similar rule in New Jersey.)
The office of Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) said this week it will put 60 National Guard members on standby on Election Day. The guard members will “be available to support existing law enforcement preparations for Election Day on things like traffic enforcement and building security” or help deal with an unexpected weather event that coincides with the elections, the office said, adding that the decision mirrors the state’s preparations for past elections.
In the District of Columbia, Police Chief Pamela A. Smith has said that the entire D.C. police department will deploy through at least the Nov. 5 election. This means all eligible 3,300 officers will work 12-hour shifts, with most leave time and vacations canceled, The Post reported. Smith said that her agency knows of no credible threat and that there is “no need for any alarm.”
Three associations representing law enforcement departments across the country signed a joint statement this week vowing to “stand ready and united to ensure that Election Day 2024 is secure, safe, and fair.”
“Law enforcement must be deliberate and vigilant with the posture taken on Election Day,” the Major County Sheriffs of America, National Sheriffs’ Association and Major Cities Chiefs Association said. The organizations said that their officers have prepared for this year’s elections “for over a year and a half” by conducting tabletop exercises, sharing intelligence with other agencies and receiving briefings from federal and local partners.
Participation in the election process is a fundamental principle of democracy, they said in the statement, “and law enforcement will utilize every resource to ensure for a safe election process for all voters.”
Inslee activates some Washington National Guard members to support public safety activities related to the 2024 elections
November 01, 2024
Today, Gov. Jay Inslee activated some Washington National Guard members to be on stand-by in the event they are asked to support local law enforcement and the Washington State Patrol during election week. The governor has given The Adjutant General the authority to determine how many members of the Guard will be activated.
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 Guard will be on stand-by for four days, beginning Monday, November 4, and ending just after midnight on Thursday, November 7, 2024.
Read the governor's letter to Major General Gent Welsh activating the National Guard. Full text is also below.
November 1, 2024
Major General Gent Welsh The Adjutant General Washington Military Department Building 1 Camp Murray, WA 98430-5000
Re: Activation of Washington National Guard assets to support public safety activities related to the 2024 Elections.
Dear Major General Welsh:
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 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.
In response to the situation described above and the potential for further violence and illegal activity, I am directing the Washington National Guard (WANG) to prepare to provide critical public safety support by activating necessary Washington National Guard personnel in a standby status. In this role, the WANG will support local law enforcement and the Washington State Patrol as needed. Our state depends on these skilled individuals for critical support to protect the public health, safety, and welfare, to include support necessary to protect vital infrastructure related to carrying out free and fair elections and to respond to any unrest related to the 2024 general election.
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.
Under RCW 38.08.040, I am authorized to order the Washington National Guard, or any part thereof, into active service of the State to perform such duty as I deem proper when required for the public health, safety, or welfare and to prepare for events described in RCW 38.08.040. I find that such preparation, and this activation of the Washington National Guard, is required now for the protection of the public health, safety, or welfare of Washington State agencies and the people they serve.
Therefore, I, Jay Inslee, Governor of the state of Washington, pursuant to RCW 38.08.040 and in response to the above-referenced request, and believing such action is necessary for preserving public health, safety and welfare, order into temporary active state service for up to four days, beginning Monday, November 4, 2024, as many members of the Washington National Guard as may be necessary and deemed appropriate for the circumstances described above in the opinion of The Adjutant General of the Washington State Military Department to support public safety efforts related to the 2024 elections, as well as activation of support functions within Washington’s Emergency Management System.
This order of activation expires at 12:01 a.m. on November 8, 2024.
Photo 2: Members of the Washington National Guard stand outside the state Capitol in Olympia on Jan. 17, 2021, during a protest called by anti-government and far-right groups supporting then-President Donald Trump and his claim of electoral fraud in the 2020 presidential election. (Jason Redmond/AFP/Getty Images)
@thenffofficial this group is technically sound it shows they’ve a good coach who understands his job, they can be the next @nigeriasuperfalcons in the nearest future as they keep graduating cos this was how I and many others start our national team journey.
Concentrate more on the #homebased players a lot of talents are right there in @thenwfl
Politics › Re: Ondo Governorship Debate (2024) Holds Tonight At 7pm by naptu2(op): 3:17pm On Nov 03, 2024*. Modified: 6:11pm On Nov 03, 2024
