In a precedent-setting move, members of the Washington National Guard are being deployed in seven counties to help protect ballot drop boxes in the final days of the election.
The mission, dubbed Election Neighborhood Watch by Gov. Bob Ferguson, appears to be the first large-scale activation of National Guard members to provide greater security of ballots cast in the state’s mail-in system. Nearly 70% of ballots returned so far arrived from a drop box.
As of Friday afternoon, National Guard members were headed to King, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, Clark, Lewis and Island counties. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, who is also a National Guard member, said this “has not been done before.”
Auditors say they had not detected any credible threats to drop boxes that would prompt a request for the National Guard’s presence. But when the governor offered to provide assistance, several accepted, seizing on the opportunity to amplify their efforts at no cost to their local taxpayers.
“There’s a lot of noise about elections right now,” said Linda Kent, Pierce County’s deputy auditor. “Looking at the broader context, out of an abundance of caution additional resources is not a bad idea.”
Pierce County Auditor Linda Farmer said elections officials whose biggest worry was once power outages are now dealing with “threats against the people who work here and the actual ballots.”
Historically, the Washington National Guard has had different roles related to the election.
Cybersecurity professionals from the guard have been activated to assist with cybersecurity tasks for every election since 2016, according to the governor’s office.
In 2024, Gov. Jay Inslee activated the guard after a drop box was set on fire in Clark County in southwest Washington. More recently white powder has been sent to offices of numerous elected officials in the state and across the country.
“Amid these recent developments and the highly charged atmosphere of this election, my administration is taking every precaution to ensure that every vote counts and that counties have the resources they need to monitor and respond to potential threats,” Ferguson wrote auditors.
Ferguson signed the activation order Oct. 21. It directs the guard members “to provide public safety and ballot security support” to bolster participating counties’ efforts “to ensure free and fair elections.” Election Neighborhood Watch began Monday and will end at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
National Guard personnel are to be unarmed and in plainclothes, not their uniforms. They are not to interact with voters or have a conspicuous presence at drop boxes, voting centers or other locations where ballots are getting cast. Their role is to observe. If they see someone trying to tamper with a box or other unusual activity, they are to call 911 or notify local authorities.
In Pierce County, they will be doing a “roving survey” of boxes. There, and in other counties, that will likely mean driving around at night and overnight, making visual checks
“We don’t want anybody camped out,” Farmer said. On election night there will be trained observers on hand to lock up and empty boxes when voting ends at 8 p.m.
King County is taking a similar approach.
“They will simply be additional eyes and ears at drop boxes and Vote Centers, and supplement our existing security plans,” emailed Halei Watkins, communications manager for King County Elections. “This is not intended to be a visible presence, but more folks to say something if they see something.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice is sending eight monitors to King County. Watkins said they are interested in observing ballot counting, vote centers, and some of the county’s 101 drop boxes. The last time federal monitors were sent to the county was 2008.
Elections Director Julie Wise said they’ll have “the same level of access as the public does. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Yakima County will also have a couple federal monitors. They won’t be coming inside the election center, and will only interact with people who engage with them, said county Auditor Charles Ross. Yakima hosted court-authorized observers in 2004 under a consent decree related to Spanish language election access, but they weren’t staff from the Justice Department.
“We regularly welcome observers of all kinds, and are confident in our team and processes,” wrote Watkins, of King County. “We are expecting smooth sailing.”
Reporter Jake Goldstein-Street contributed to this report.
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