Gov. Jay Inslee activates National Guard before Election Day

Gov. Jay Inslee has activated the Washington National Guard before Election Day.

Select National Guard members will be on standby to ensure public safety and respond to potential civil unrest across the state between Nov. 4 and Nov. 8, Inslee said in a Friday letter to Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh with the state Military Department.

Welsh will determine how many Guard members will be activated to support local law enforcement and Washington State Patrol.

The activation is a “purely precautionary measure,” Inslee said, “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.”

Early Monday, a fire caused by an “incendiary device” damaged hundreds of ballots inside a drop box in Vancouver.

The fire is connected to a similar fire in Portland, Ore., that happened the same day and an Oct. 8 incident in a downtown Vancouver drop box, according to authorities.

Inslee is also activating additional support functions within the state’s emergency management system.

Washington depends on National Guard members’ support to protect vital infrastructure related to carrying out free and fair elections and to respond to any unrest related to the 2024 general election, Inslee said.