OLYMPIA—Just days following the destruction of ballot boxes in both Portland and Vancouver on October 28, in what Secretary of State Steve Hobbs called an act of “terror” against “fair elections in Washington state,” Governor Jay Inslee on Friday, November 1, activated Washington National Guard members to support public safety activities related to the 2024 Elections. Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, on October 28, announced that he will activate a limited contingent of National Guard personnel for the same reason.
“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,” Governor Inslee wrote in his letter to Major General Gent Welsh activating the National Guard.
On October 28, an incendiary device was set off in a drop box in Vancouver, Washington, damaging or destroying at least 494 ballots, and a similar device targeted a ballot box in Portland, Oregon. Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Mike Benner shared with the Associated Press on October 30, that the suspect is a white man, between 30 to 40 years of age, and balding or has very short hair. The suspect, believed to be the same person in both incidents, is an experienced metalworker and may be planning additional attacks, authorities said.
The incendiary devices were marked with the message “Free Gaza.” Surveillance video captured the suspect driving a black or dark-colored 2001 to 2004 Volvo S-60.
Inslee shared that due to the latest attack on election infrastructure and the “potential for further violence and illegal activity,” the Washington National Guard will be on standby to support local law enforcement, and the Washington State Patrol as needed.
“Our state depends on these skilled individuals for critical support to protect the public health, safety, and welfare, to include support necessary 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 stated.
In the event of war, insurrection, rebellion, invasion, or riot, the governor has the authority under RCW 38.08.040 to activate the National Guard “to execute the laws, and to perform such duty as the governor shall deem proper.”
Governor Inslee fell victim of dozens of people, some armed, storming the grounds of the Executive Residence (Governor’s Mansion) on January 6, 2021, who were distraught with the state’s pandemic lockdowns and the results of the 2020 General Election in which Congress certified President Joe Biden as the winner that same day. Protestors damaged the main gate but did not enter the interior of the Mansion.
Campaign rhetoric between supporters of Kamala Harris and Donald J Trump has been escalating with exchanges of insults and heightened political discourse. The Trump campaign has referred to Harris as a “communist” and imply she is not intelligent; whereas the Harris campaign refers to Trump as a would-be “dictator”, “Hitler” and his supporters as “Nazis.”
During a Zoom campaign call with a Hispanic advocacy group on October 29, President Biden called Trump supporters “garbage” in response to a comedian, known for his uncouth performances, referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” Scandal further erupted when it was discovered that White House press officials altered the official transcript by strategically placing a possessive apostrophe, changing the context and intention of Biden’s remark.
Biden’s gaffe drew criticism from Republican pundits comparing it to 2016 Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” remarks during a rally calling Trump supporters “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic” for their views.
CISA recently warned of Russian actors launching campaigns to create an environment “to raise unfounded questions about the integrity of the US election and stoke divisions among Americans.”
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a statement on November 1 clarifying that Russian actors manufactured false videos of noncitizen Haitians voting illegally in multiple counties in Georgia. Just days earlier, CISA brought awareness to Russian election interference debunking a video circulating on social media that falsely depicted an individual ripping up ballots in Pennsylvania.
CISA also reported that Russian influence actors manufactured a video falsely accusing an individual associated with the Democratic presidential ticket of taking a bribe from a U.S. entertainer.
