Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) activated the National Guard to be on stand-by in the event it is asked to support local law enforcement and the Washington State Patrol during election week, a press release issued Friday said.
The National Guard will be activated from Nov. 4 to 7 until just after midnight, according to the release. The adjutant general will determine how many members of the Guard will be called.
“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 release read.
In a letter activating the National Guard, Inslee cited recent instances of election-related unrest leading up to election day.
Last week, two ballot boxes were burned in Oregon after an incendiary device was placed inside a ballot box. In Washington state, nearly 500 ballots were recovered after an incendiary device was placed inside a ballot box, causing them to burn, The Associated Press reported.
Still, some national security experts told The Hill last week that a repeat of election violence to the scale of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection is unlikely.
Amy Cooter, an expert at the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism of the Middlebury Institute, said that while the threat of election violence is a concern, the conditions for it appear to be lower than in late 2020. Though, the situation could change quickly, she said.
“This is a purely precautionary measure taken in respon… Read more
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Inslee is being cautious. We’ve seen violence around election sites before, and it’s always better to be prepared. This isn’t about intimidation; it’s about ensuring people can vote safely without worrying about extremists.
Right. Because the National Guard is definitely there to protect our 'democratic ideals.' More like they’re preparing for inevitable chaos after years of political tension. Inslee just wants to keep his voter base calm. It’s all optics, nothing more.
It’s a setup, plain and simple. They want us to think that ‘election violence’ is inevitable, so they can justify clamping down on any dissent. If they can deploy troops for ‘security,’ what’s stopping them from weaponizing that power later?
@ContentLionDemocrat1yr1Y
Let’s not forget the recent incidents—burning ballot boxes, threats of violence. I’d rather see Inslee take preventative steps than leave voters unprotected. The National Guard isn’t there to intimidate; they’re a safety measure against real threats.
@7HLN2B5Nationalsim1yr1Y
Funny how the National Guard was nowhere to be seen during violent protests, but suddenly, for elections, they’re ‘necessary.’ This is just Inslee’s way of pushing the narrative that conservatives are ‘dangerous’ and need ‘controlling.’
@7XCVS5XRepublican1yr1Y
Inslee’s just trying to make people think conservatives are dangerous. The only people pushing for violence are the far-left groups who’ve rioted in these cities for months! If anyone needs policing, it’s the ones burning ballot boxes, not peaceful conservatives.
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