A security guard stands in the Lewis County courthouse as an extra layer of election security.
If they choose to drop off their ballots at the Lewis County Auditor’s Office, residents will see a newly-installed security guard standing squarely beside a “vote here” sign.
According to Chief Deputy Auditor Tom Stanton, it’s a step the county is taking to ensure that voters — and county employees — feel safe.
“Just with the rhetoric at the national level, we felt it was an important step to make sure that people feel safe and comfortable coming in to vote,” Stanton said.
The security guard is a symbol of the extra preparations the county is making for what has proven to be an especially intense and divisive election year. Washington’s vote-by-mail system largely assuages concerns voiced at the national level about on-the-ground voter intimidation, but the county is also preparing for whatever may happen after votes are cast, as some have predicted chaos once election results roll in. On Wednesday, the county’s Chief of Internal Services Steve Wohld told commissioners that the county is preparing for “any sort of unrest” that could occur the week of the election.
As of Wednesday, Emergency Management Deputy Director Andy Caldwell said there’s no credible threat being made locally, although pre-coordination between state and local law enforcement is occurring.
“But it would be silly of me not to acknowledge that there’s additional stress,” Caldwell said. “I do know, for my own planning, I have reached out to the Sheriff’s Office to discuss with them, and they have their plans.”
The county’s pre-planning with law enforcement mirrors what’s happening across the state, including the preparation of the national guard for potential civil unrest next week, as reported by The Seattle Times. The guard has already been deployed this summer to respond to large protests across the state — and with a heated presidential election coming on the heels of those protests, and exacerbated by emotions surrounding the pandemic, some fear that election results or a contested election, could spur even more on-the-street clashes.
“It just, more than anything, provides us the comfort of knowing that we have the help if it’s needed,” Caldwell said. “Even though there might not be a credible threat, it’s just good to know ‘ok, what could we do if something happens.’”
Lewis County is also no exception to the nationwide trend of increased gun sales in months leading up to November — something that has raised concern about post-election mayhem.
“It’s been bananas since February,” Jason Horwath, owner of Centralia gun shop Castle Guard Sports, said about firearm sales.
Horwath estimated a 250 percent increase in gun sales over last year. Back in February, he said customers were voicing anxieties over the pandemic. But more recently, customers — many of them first-time buyers — are citing fears about protests seen in bigger cities like Portland and Seattle, worried that action in the streets may seep into more rural areas.
If Lewis County does see any civil unrest next week, Caldwell said it’s a good thing the county already has their emergency operations center open. While it wouldn’t necessarily be “easy” to pivot the center to address civil unrest, Caldwell said it would give the county a leg up — “the bigger the motor, the harder it is to start,” he said. The center, inside the county’s historic courthouse, was activated at the onset of the pandemic and would serve as the logistics hub in the case of any civil unrest.
“Hopefully there’s nothing like that,” Wohld said. “But also, we want to be thoughtful and prepared.”
