Guard to Watch Island County Drop Boxes Before Tuesday Vote

Island County will place National Guard members at its six ballot drop boxes to watch them overnight, days before voters head to the polls for the Nov. 3 general election. Auditor Sheilah Crider announced the county's acceptance of the detail on Oct. 30, joining six other Washington counties that had signed up for the same help as of Oct. 27.

The Guard members will work in plain clothes and answer to Crider's office. Their assignment stops at observation: they are not to empty drop boxes, touch ballots, speak with voters or exercise any enforcement authority. If they spot something odd, they are to follow county procedure and dial 911 so local officers can respond.

Governor Bob Ferguson extended the offer to county auditors across Washington. In his letter to those officials, he called the setup an "Election Neighborhood Watch" and wrote that Guard members would serve as "eyes and ears on the ground" and be ready to coordinate with local authorities if issues arise. The personnel remain under state control rather than federal command and hold no law enforcement powers.

Ferguson pointed to several incidents as background for the request. During the 2024 general election, someone set fire to a ballot drop box in Vancouver, Washington, destroying hundreds of ballots. Island County had its own ballot-related episode that cycle, when a bicyclist found 32 unopened ballots along a road in Oak Harbor; elections officials determined the items were outgoing mail to voters and issued replacements, and the episode did not involve a drop box. The governor also cited envelopes containing suspicious white powder mailed to the Secretary of State's Office and members of the state's congressional delegation.

Crider framed the decision as an added layer over existing measures. "After careful consideration and out of an abundance of caution, Island County has accepted the Governor's offer of Guard personnel as observers for ballot drop boxes," she said in a press release, adding that the resources would support the county's security and operational plans. County Commissioner Melanie Bacon said she backs the auditor's call: "It is very important to the Island County Commissioners that we have safe, secure and transparent elections. If the Auditor believes that having National Guard personnel monitor our drop boxes overnight will better ensure our election security, then I support her in this decision."

Several details remained unsettled as of Oct. 30. The auditor's release did not say when monitoring would begin, how many Guard members would take part, or which of the six drop boxes, located in Coupeville, Oak Harbor, Freeland, Clinton, Langley and on Camano Island, would be watched, and it was not clear whether any personnel had reached the county yet. KUW reported that the Guard's election security operation was expected to start in some Washington counties late in the week. Clark, King, Lewis, Pierce, Snohomish and Thurston counties had also accepted the assistance as of Oct. 27.

The auditor's office asked voters to sign their ballot return envelopes and use an official drop box by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.