Tuesday, November 3, 2026
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 percent of ballots returned so far arrived from a drop box.
As of Friday afternoon, Oct. 30, 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 Pierce County Deputy Auditor Linda Kent. “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, then-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 on 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 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.
12 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Acadian04
Sad that we have to think about this, but the ounce of prevention seems like the right approach.
Yesterday at 9:18 PM Report this
TheVirtualOne
Taxpayer-funded babysitting for ballot drop boxes. Another example of Ferguson’s runaway spending, writing checks he can’t pay for. One of the worst governors in the country.
Yesterday at 9:35 PM Report this
Honestyandrealityguy
Makes me curious, why is he ignoring ALL of the others? Hmmmm
12 hours ago Report this
terry
The bluest of blue states needs NG Dropbox surveillance? Is this political cover for a poor record of screening/cleaning voter rolls?
12 hours ago Report this
Tanker1982
I was not aware the National Guard worked for free! If mobilize at the state level , every taxpayer in need he state pays for it. And this is to be celebrated? Our county officials can write a check from their checking accounts to pay for this taxpayer ripoff
11 hours ago Report this
MartyKenney
MAGA commenters seem to be mad at the gov for doing his job protecting your right to vote. this is the price to pay when we have a criminal fascist president who is all too ready to abuse his powers. elections have consequences,
I think was their line back in '24...
Thanks NG for keeping our elections secure. worth the tax bill IMO
8 hours ago Report this
TheVirtualOne
MartyKenney - Don’t confuse MAGA with those who clearly see this for what it is - grandstanding. This is Ferguson’s modus operandi. I know people who worked for him when he was the attorney general and they all say the same thing. There has only been one case of tampering with a ballot box that occurred in 2024 in Vancouver. Meanwhile, Ferguson does nothing about the rampant crime, open-air drug dealing, and business exodus happening in Seattle. He has also embraced a taxpayer-funded welfare system supporting illegals and those who don’t want to work. Top it off with sidekick Steve Hobbs, the Secretary of State, who admitted last week the state does nothing to ensure non-citizens are eliminated from voter rolls and you have a real problem that’s been covered up for decades. So MAGA has nothing to do with this. It’s just smart people following the evidence.
3 hours ago Report this
TheVirtualOne
November 1, 2026
The Washington Secretary of State, Steve Hobbs, admitted that voter rolls are not verified for citizenship.
https://komonews.com/news/local/should-washington-require-proof-of-citizenship-to-register-to-vote-governor-bob-ferguson-thurston-county-mary-hall-doj-15-cases-voter-registration-criminal-charges-dol-legal-document
Further, Hobbs claims of rare instances of non-citizens registering to vote has been debunked. The Department of Licensing automatically registers those who apply for a driver’s license, and proof of citizenship is not needed for that. This is a gaping hole in the voter registration system that has been swept under the rug for decades and needs to be stopped. In mid-October, an attorney in Blaine, Len Saunders, went on the record stating he has had a dozen cases annually of non-citizens unwittingly being registered to vote without their knowledge via the “motor voter” registration system. This just the tip of a very large iceberg being covered up by Democratic Party politicians. With WA DOL issuing driver’s licenses to thousands of illegals, the state’s political leaders are using the motor voter registration system to enable illegal voter registration and putting their heads in the sand. This is turning our elections into a third-world banana republic.
35 minutes ago Report this
CobraCommander
TheVirtualOne - You were unhappy because you said ballots weren't secure, but not theyre being secured and you're upset?
Youre getting upset about paying the national guard but say **** all about trumps disaster of a war in Iran
Is there not a day when you all arent a walking contradiction?
34 minutes ago Report this
CobraCommander
If it wasnt for baseless conspiracy theories, MAGA wouldnt have a single thought in their tiny craniums
31 minutes ago Report this
Snevets
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.
At no cost to their local taxpayers.
It would benefit some of you to read the entire article before you whip out your hate pen.
Report this
Southsoundguy
Are they going to be looking for illegals trying to vote?
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