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Post-election violence looms in US as Washington state puts National Guard on stand-by

Post-election violence looms in US as Washington state puts National Guard on stand-by - Photo/Image

The governor of Washington State in the north-western United States has activated some members of the National Guard to be on standby in case of election-related unrest.

“This is a purely precautionary measure,” a statement from Governor Jay Inslee’s office said on Friday.

A ballot drop box for early voting was set on fire with incendiary devices in Vancouver, Washington at the start of the week. Hundreds of ballots were destroyed.

A similar incident occurred in the nearby city of Portland, Oregon around the same time.

Inslee’s office said the governor, a Democrat, was responding to these incidents as well as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s nationwide warnings regarding threats to election infrastructure.

The National Guard is a state-based military force that answers both to governors and the president and is frequently deployed in response to natural disasters and other emergencies.

The guard will be on stand-by for four days in Washington state, beginning Monday, and ending just after midnight on Thursday.

Election Day is Tuesday but tens of millions of early votes have already been cast.

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