OLYMPIA, Wash. — On Friday, Nov. 1, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee announced some members of the state's National Guard have been put on standby to assist law enforcement in precaution of Election Day violence. The four-day activation began Monday, Nov. 4, with hours left until Election Day.
The state is far from alone in preparing for the potential of violence the week of the election.
"Around the nation, approximately 60 national Guardsmen from six states have been activated by their state governors and state active-duty status for election support," said Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder Monday morning.
Across 17 states, another 600 Guardsmen are also on standby.
With warnings from Homeland Security that threats to election infrastructure remain high, Governor Inslee said he wants troops at the ready.
"Why not be extra safe to have more eyes and ears keeping an eye out?" said Sarah James, an assistant professor of political science at Gonzaga University.
But even with the activation, James says voters may not see a difference on Tuesday.
"This doesn't mean the National Guards going to form a line in front of polling places," James said. "They're not sending the National Guard out into the streets, but rather saying if and when we need backup, you should be prepared to be deployed."
However, it appears the move is a first for the state, at least in terms of activation pre-election.
National Guard Spokesperson Karina Shagren told KREM 2 News by email troops were activated to support state patrol in Olympia following the January 6 insurrection; they also traveled to Washington, D.C. to assist law enforcement with the 2021 inauguration.
However, when KREM 2 asked if the guard has ever been put on standby before an election prior to January 6, Shagren wrote, "Not in recent history? I’m not tracking an activation to be on stand-by prior to an election."
Since governors are responsible for state safety, James says the move makes sense, especially given the rhetoric and threats of the current political climate and with January 6 so close in the rearview.
"You'd be hard-pressed to say the attacks on the Capitol aren't on everyone's mind right now," James said. "I think it's just smart governing to be preemptive and think what are potential scenarios."
Washington has already seen some of those scenarios play out, with arsons burning up ballot boxes in Vancouver, Washington and Portland, Oregon in late October.
The country has seen extreme partisanship over its decades of democracy, but James says we entered unprecedented territory after the insurrection. She adds the current divisiveness and rhetoric that has shown to turn to violent action shows preventative measures may be warranted.
"I think this sowing seeds of doubt about electoral processes, when we have no evidence of that being true, does feel really new and concerning. And again, that may be all the more reason to have an advertised, more obvious activation of the National Guard," James said.
As of Monday, boards and barricades were in place near the U.S. Capitol building and nearby businesses, as the nation and its windows brace for any outcome.