Washington puts troops on alert after election security incident
Washington state prepares National Guard deployment for election week security after recent ballot box attack. Troops will assist law-enforcement and guard key spots during early-november voting period
Following a fire-bomb attack on a ballot box Gov Jay Inslee announced plans to ready National Guard troops for election-week duty in Washington state
The stateʼs military chief Maj Gen Gent Welsh got green-light to pick troop numbers (which will stay non-public) for the nov 4th thru nov 7th deployment period. These service-members will work side-by-side with local police to keep voting spots safe
The quick decision came after someone used an incendiary-device to burn a ballot drop-box just days ago; this incident pushed officials to boost security measures. The guardʼs main tasks include:
- watching over key voting places
- helping law-enforcement when needed
- responding to any public-safety issues
- protecting important infrastructure spots
The troops will be spread across high-priority locations in a flexible way based on Welshʼs assessment of whats needed during the nov 5th general election
