Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee activated the National Guard to be on standby in case of election violence.
The National Guard will be on standby from Monday to Thursday, according to a release from the governor’s office. Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, head of Washington’s Guard, will decide how many troops to mobilize.
“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.
Southwest Washington has already experienced “specific instances of election-related unrest,” Mr. Inslee wrote.
Indeed, an incendiary device was set off in a ballot drop box this week that led to the destruction of hundreds of ballots in Vancouver, Washington. Similar incidents happened in nearby Oregon.
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2024 Election
