States have put the National Guard on alert in case of election violence

The governors of three states — Washington, Nevada and Oregon — said they were ready to use the National Guard to help with potential civil unrest on Election Day or in the days following.

Listening Department of Homeland Security warning of threats of violence during presidential election weekWashington Governor Jay Inslee and Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo activated members of the National Guard to support local and state law enforcement agencies. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has not activated her state’s National Guard, but her office said Monday that guardsmen are “trained and ready” in case they are needed.

In a joint bulletin, DHS and the FBI warned of potential violence from domestic extremists who believe claims of election fraud or harbor anger at political opponents. The agencies write that extremists are likely to target polling stations, ballot boxes, voter registration sites, political rallies, campaign events and political party offices.

In the run-up to the election, some of these warnings have come true. An An Arizona man has been charged with a shooting at the office of the Democratic National Committee last week near Phoenix. Also last week, Ballot boxes in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington were set on fireand hundreds of ballots were destroyed.

In response to the burning of ballot boxes in his state, On Friday, Inslee sent a letter to Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, the adjutant general of the War Department in Washington.putting the National Guard on standby. The activation will expire just after midnight on Friday.

“The US Department of Homeland Security has warned that threats to election infrastructure remain high during the 2024 election cycle. There have already been specific cases of election-related unrest in the southwestern region of Washington state,” Inslee wrote. “I am directing the Washington National Guard to prepare to provide critical support to public safety by activating the necessary Washington National Guard personnel on standby.”

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Inslee wrote that the Guardsmen can support local law enforcement agencies and the Washington State Patrol to “protect the vital infrastructure associated with the conduct of free and fair elections and respond to any disturbances related to the 2024 general election.”

In Nevada, one of the seven key states, Lombardo announced that it would involve 60 National Guard soldiers in Carson City and Las Vegas on standby on Election Day. If called upon, they will assist with tasks such as traffic control, building security and communications, the governor said in a statement last week.

“After consulting with stakeholders across the state, I have determined that a precautionary activation of the National Guard makes sense at this time. We do not anticipate that these personnel will need to be deployed,” Lombardo said.

The Oregon governor’s office will monitor incidents of voter intimidation or election interference and coordinate with local, state and federal agencies “to ensure Oregon voters can vote safely,” Kotek’s office said in an email. While the Oregon National Guard has not been activated, it could be called upon to support law enforcement “if they reach their capacity,” the office said.

William Banks, a Syracuse University law professor who has written a book about the domestic role of the U.S. military, called the governors’ actions reasonable.

“Precautionary measures taken by governors — activating or putting members of their state’s National Guard on alert — are just as reasonable as such calls in advance of a major storm threatening the state,” Banks said. “Governors will direct Guard personnel to quell any violent disturbances but not to interfere in any way with the voting or counting of votes. In some circumstances, monitoring this line before election interference can be difficult, but it is a task at hand.”

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Increasing threats of violence against poll workers, as well as false conspiracies about election fraud, have prompted some election officials to increase security at polling stations in preparation for Tuesday. Some municipalities have implemented security measures such as panic buttons and bulletproof glass, This is reported by the Associated Press.

Ministry of Justice established a dedicated hotline for people to report harassment or other types of voting interference. The hotline — 888-636-6596 — opened Saturday and will remain open until Nov. 8. The Safe and Secure Elections Committee has created a public noticeduring which local government officials and retired military officials urged Americans not to interfere in the voting process and not to participate in political violence.

Despite the concerns, Extremism experts predict that any election-related violence is likely to occur after Election Dayand not during voting.

“Don’t let fear and intimidation stop you from exercising your right,” said Wendy Via, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. “People need to be prepared and cautious, but not afraid.”

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