D.C. elections board asks National Guard to limit presence near ballot drop boxes
U.S. PoliticsDeveloping
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The Facts
- The D.C. Board of Elections requested limits on National Guard placements near ballot drop boxes and voting locations.
- The request followed complaints about Guard personnel near a ballot drop box by the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro station.
- Photos or video showed several National Guard members near the Foggy Bottom ballot drop box.
- D.C.'s 55 ballot drop boxes opened Friday and will accept ballots through Election Day on Nov. 3.
- National Guard officials said the troops near the box were taking a break during a patrol.
- National Guard officials said the troops were not assigned to guard the ballot drop box.
Context
What did election officials ask the National Guard to do?
The D.C. Board of Elections asked the Guard to impose limits on where service members are placed near ballot drop boxes and other voting locations. Raw Story Task & Purpose Washington Sun DC News Now | Washi…
What did the National Guard say about the troops near the drop box?
Guard officials said the troops were part of a larger patrol, were taking a break, and were not assigned to guard the box. Raw Story Task & Purpose
When can D.C. voters use ballot drop boxes?
The District's 55 drop boxes opened Friday and are scheduled to accept ballots through the end of Election Day, Nov. 3. Raw Story Washington Sun
Where Left and Right agree
Left and right largely agree on this one.
- What both sides accept
- Guard members were present near the Foggy Bottom drop box during a patrol break, not assigned to guard it, and both sides accept keeping the Guard clear of all 55 boxes through Nov. 3.
- Where Left and Right differ in emphasis
- The left and the right agree the Guard should stay clear, but differ on why intimidation counts.
How left and right read it
Several Guard members appeared near the Foggy Bottom box, enough to draw complaints and push the Board of Elections to ask for limits — because intent isn't the test here; a break during a patrol still reads as a presence. Keep them away from all 55 boxes through Nov. 3.
Before an accusation gets attached to men in uniform, someone has to show more than a photograph. Asking the Guard to keep clear of the drop boxes through Nov. 3 is reasonable restraint, but the Guard's own account is that those soldiers were simply on a patrol break and were never assigned to that box. Who carries the burden of proving intimidation?
Keeping the Guard off all 55 boxes settles the policy. What it doesn't settle is whether presence alone counts as intimidation.
The receipts — 6 sources
Independent coverage (6)
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