Candidate backs "responsible" use of National Guard for election security after Vancouver ballot incident

When asked whether Gov. Jay Inslee's decision to put the National Guard on standby for election week was appropriate, the attorney general and gubernatorial candidate said he had only seen the headline but expressed support for responsible measures to protect ballot counting. He referred to an incident in Vancouver in which ballots were destroyed as a reason to take steps to ensure votes are counted and voters can participate. "So, look, I'm supportive of any steps we can take...to make sure that votes are being counted," he said.

The candidate also cautioned that use of the National Guard must be tailored to each situation. Asked whether the Guard should be used for non-electoral issues such as encampment cleanups or the fentanyl crisis, he said such decisions should be made case by case and that governors must ensure resources are used "in a way that's responsible."

He did not provide specifics about when or how the Guard should be deployed in these contexts, saying he had not reviewed the newspaper coverage in detail at the time of the interview.