Washington Governor Activates National Guard to Counter Potential Election Violence

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has activated members of the National Guard, placing them on standby to support local and state law enforcement in the event of an outbreak of election-related violence. The “purely precautionary” deployment, as announced by Inslee on Nov. 1, follows warnings from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that the 2024 election cycle could be a “key event for possible violence” and foreign influence targeting election infrastructure. The deployment also comes amid concerns following a recent incident in Vancouver, Washington, where an incendiary device detonated in a ballot drop box, damaging or destroying hundreds of ballots. A similar incident occurred in Portland, Oregon, earlier this week....