The federal government has for the first time declared that the certification of the presidential vote next year will be treated as a “national special security event” — an acknowledgment that the once-routine part of the democratic process now carries special risk.
The designation by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas places the Jan. 6 session of Congress on the same security footing as major events such as the Super Bowl or U.N. General Assembly.
It authorizes measures aimed at preventing a reprise of the riot at the Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
“National Special Security Events are events of the highest national significance,” Eric Ranaghan, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Dignitary Protective Division, said in a statement Wednesday announcing the designation. “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 announcement underscores the tense political environment, with polls showing Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in a close race and a bitterly divided electorate.
The designation empowers the Secret Service to lead security planning and provide extensive resources to state and local authorities assisting with its implementation. It will mean unprecedented levels of security when Congress certifies the results of the presidential election.
On Jan. 6, 2021, thousands of Trump’s supporters who embraced his lies about a stolen election breached the Capitol in a bid to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s win. The mob overwhelmed the outnumbered police on scene until reinforcements arrived from the National Guard and local law enforcement.
The Jan. 6 select committee that investigated Trump’s effort to subvert the election urged the Biden administration to consider declaring next year’s Jan. 6 joint session a major security event in its final report. Former Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told the panel that the decision should be “threat-driven” and that the designation would unlock new tools for security agencies to deploy in preparation for the event.
In its announcement Wednesday, the Secret Service said the move followed a request from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. It also said that “a formal planning process is underway” and an executive steering committee — featuring “senior representatives from federal, state and local law enforcement and public safety partners” — would begin meeting in the coming weeks.
