The counting and certification of electoral votes at the Capitol in January — the first since the Jan. 6 riot in 2021 — will come with significantly increased security, the Secret Service said Wednesday.
The Department of Homeland Security has designated the Jan. 6 count as a national special security event, affording it a level of security similar to events like the State of the Union address and the Super Bowl. The Secret Service will oversee planning.
The designation, a first for the certification of electoral votes, is an effort to avoid a repeat of the chaos nearly four years ago when a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol to disrupt that year's count affirming Joe Biden's victory.
“National Special Security Events are events of the highest national significance,” Eric Ranaghan, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Dignitary Protective Division, said in a statement Wednesday. “The U.S. Secret Service, in collaboration with our federal, state, and local partners are committed to developing and implementing a comprehensive and integrated security plan to ensure the safety and security of this event and its participants.”
The designation has typically been reserved for special events like the Republican and Democratic national conventions, the United Nations General Assembly and presidential inaugurations.
The Washington Post first reported the new security designation for the January vote count.
The Secret Service said Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser had requested the designation. The mayor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday night.
The Secret Service, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, also cited reports from the former House Jan. 6 committee and the Government Accountability Office, which had asked Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to consider the enhanced security measures.
The designation will unlock federal, state and local resources to be used in its security plan, the Secret Service said. It added that a panel of representatives from various levels of law enforcement will meet “in the coming weeks” to work on planning.
Four people died as a result of the 2021 attack on the Capitol, and about 140 police officers were assaulted, according to the Justice Department. The riot also led to around $1.5 million in damage to the building.
