WA Gov Jay Inslee activates state National Guard to respond to potential election civil unrest

Washington state Governor Jay Inslee (D) has ordered the activation of the state’s National Guard in the case of civil unrest over the 2024 general election. The governor cited the recent ballot box bombings in the Pacific Northwest and a report from the Department of Homeland Security warning that threats to election infrastructure remain high. The order will be in effect from Nov. 4 to Nov. 8.

Gov. Inslee made the announcement Friday evening in a press release, which included a letter sent to Major General Gent Welsh ordering the activation under state statute RCW 38.08.040. The statute states that the governor may order out organized militia.

“Based upon general and specific information and concerns regarding the potential for violence or other unlawful activity related to the 2024 general election, I want to ensure we are fully prepared to respond to any potential additional civil unrest of the type described in RCW 38.08.040 occurring within Washington State leading up to on, and potentially extending beyond November 5, 2024, the date of the 2024 general election,” Inslee wrote in the letter.

“The US Department of Homeland Security has warned that threats to election infrastructure during the 2024 election cycle remains high,” he continued. “The southwest region of Washington state has already experienced specific instances of election-related unrest. On October 28, 2024, an incendiary device was set off in a drop box in Vancouver, Washington, damaging or destroying hundreds of ballots, and a similar device targeted a ballot box in Portland, Oregon.”

Inslee stated that the order is precautionary, and that state National Guard personnel will be on standby to assist local and state law enforcement officials if needed. He gave Major Gen. Welson, the Adjutant General, the authority to determine how many guardsmen to activate.

The Democratic governor, who chose not to run for reelection and will leave office in early 2025 after serving for 12 years, did not indicate in the letter whether the administration has information about active threats to public safety or whether citizens should be concerned. The Post Millennial contacted Gov. Inslee's office for further explanation.

This comes after an unidentified suspect launched bombing attacks on ballot drop boxes in Washington and Oregon on Monday, Oct. 28, using incendiary devices that were allegedly emblazoned with the message: “Free Gaza.”

The Clark County Auditor's Office said that over 500 ballots were burned at the Vancouver, Washington, bombing site at Fisher's Landing, 3510 SE 164th Ave. According to Multnomah County election authorities, just three ballots were lightly charred at the Portland, Oregon, bombing site. They attributed this to the state's ballot boxes being fitted with fire suppression systems that react in response to heat. 

Portland Police described the suspect in an Oct. 30 press brief as a balding white male in his 30s to 40s with a thin face and medium build. The suspect is also believed to be an experienced welder or metal fabricator, investigators said.

Authorities warned the suspect could strike again.

“Investigators believe it is very possible the suspect intends to continue these targeted attacks across the area,” Portland Police Bureau spokesman Mike Benner said, adding that investigators believe the suspect was driving a dark-colored Volvo S60 from the early 2000s.

On the day of the attack, the Department of Homeland Security published a federal bulletin claiming that some online users on websites that domestic violent extremists use have “encouraged violence against ideological opponents related to the use of mail-in voting,” as well as “methods of sabotaging ballot drop boxes.”

The FBI said in a statement Monday that the agency is working with federal, state, and local partners to bring the perpetrator to justice.