Election certification on January 6 next year will have additional safeguards to prevent further riots

WASHINGTON — In order to prevent another revolt similar to the one on January 6, 2021.The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security has determined that the counting of congressional votes and the certification of the presidential election are events of critical national security importance overseen by the Secret Service.

Both national conventions of political parties, the presidential inauguration and the UN General Assembly have already received this designation, but for the first time ever the January 6 vote counting and certification has received the designation.

The Secret Service stated that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas made this decision at the request of the mayor of Washington. This decision means that these are particularly high-profile events that could become a target for terrorists or criminals.

The Secret Service is responsible for providing security at such events through a planning process that begins months in advance. A certification steering committee was formed Jan. 6 and will begin meeting in the coming weeks, the Secret Service said.

The aim is to improve planning and coordination, especially when it comes to deploying resources within the federal government.

“National Special Security Events are events of the highest national significance,” Eric Ranaghan, special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Dignitary Protection Division, said in a statement. The agency and its partners “are committed to developing and implementing a comprehensive and integrated security plan to ensure the safety of this event and its participants,” he said.

Riots to overturn 2020 election results (*6*)descended on the Capitol On January 6, 2021, they scaled walls, smashed windows, beat police and hunted lawmakers in the hallways of Congress. About 140 police officers were injured that day. One of them collapsed and died. Four others later committed suicide. A Trump supporter who tried to climb through a broken window was shot and killed by authorities.

Following the riots, 1,500 criminal cases were brought to court, over 900 people pleaded guilty and around 200 were convicted.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday that House Democrats “are committed to protecting democracy, conducting free and fair elections, and a peaceful transition of power that begins on January 6.”

Asked if a special security designation was necessary, he said that given what happened in 2021, “and the refusal of many fringe MAGA Republicans to prevent something like this from happening again … this designation by national security experts seems necessary.”

It’s a high-profile assignment for an agency struggling to defend its reputation after the failed assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The Secret Service was criticized for failing to secure the building where Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed and opened fire while Trump was speaking, grazing Trump in the ear. The agency’s director, Kim Cheatle, resigned after a heated congressional hearing, and the agency’s decisions and planning are the subject of multiple investigations.