WASHINGTON STATE NATIONAL GUARD ACTIVATED FOR ELECTION DAY, OTHERS TO FOLLOW

Where will you be on Election Day 2024? The polls? Your neighborhood watering hole? Hiding away at home? Well, if you’re in the Washington State National Guard, you’ll be mobilized to help local law enforcement for at least a few days. It’s almost time to pick our next President but there are a lot of uncertainties about how people are going to react—regardless of who wins.

Washington State National Guard Preparing for Election Day 2024

Governor Jay Inslee has activated the Washington State National Guard to help with potential safety issues that could arise following Election Day 2024.

The decision was made on November 1, 2024, that National Guard units in Washington State are going to be on standby following the results of the November 5th election.

Guardsmen are being activated from November 4th through November 7th to help law enforcement protect election infrastructure.

Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh will decide how many Guardsmen are activated and on standby.

As written by Inslee, “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.”

While this all comes at a time in which such activations remain a headline-worthy topic among political opponents, the Evergreen State is on higher alert than normal following the concerning destruction of ballots in October.

Election Day Safety Concerns

Fires were set at ballot drop boxes in Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, damaging or destroying hundreds of ballots.

Most ballots in the Portland box survived, but nearly all in the Vancouver box were damaged or destroyed. Authorities suspect these incidents are linked.

The fires were started by devices placed outside the drop boxes, and investigators are searching for a suspect.

A recent Homeland Security bulletin warned about potential sabotage targeting ballot drop boxes, raising concerns for the 2024 election cycle.

This was specifically why Inslee activated Washington State National Guard units, along with preparing for potential safety issues following civil unrest.

Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security has told Washington that there are ongoing threats in multiple states that could affect “election infrastructure.”

While these reasons are more than enough, it’s worth noting that in recent years, states have been activating troops from the National Guard around elections more frequently.

In most cases, they assist local law enforcement with smaller issues but there have also been more sophisticated issues at hand, such as cybersecurity attacks.

Washington State National Guard Not Alone, Oregon and Nevada Also Prepare

Washington has already deployed its National Guard troops, but other states are preparing to join in anticipation of potential election-related unrest.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is expected to keep units on standby but as of this writing has not activated them yet.

The number of troops would depend on what local law enforcement needs after the election.

Oregon remains on edge for similar reasons as Washington, including a ballot drop box fire and potential civil unrest following the election.

Additionally, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo plans to activate a limited number of National Guard members in Las Vegas and Carson City as a precaution.

Nevada’s National Guard troops will remain at armories on standby, with no plans for public deployment as of this writing.

The Washington State National Guard and others remain ready to maintain integrity in the election as well as peace following its conclusions. Emotions are high but hopefully, Americans remain peaceful during this democratic transition.

Suggested reads:

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