Washington Governor Activates National Guard to Counter Potential Election Violence

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has activated the National Guard to be on standby to assist law enforcement amid election-related violence concerns.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee in Seattle on March 11, 2020. John Moore/Getty Images

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.