US Secret Service Announces Additional Security Measures for January 6 Vote Count

There will be additional security at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2025.

The mayor of Washington, D.C., among others, has called for the event to be designated an NSSE, or National Special Security Event.

The Secret Service released a statement Wednesday saying in part: “This is the first time a Special National Security Event designation has been granted for a certification of electoral votes and follows a request by the Mayor of DC to designate this event as a Special National Security Event.”

It will be the first election certification since the attack on the US Capitol in 2021. More than 200 police officers were reportedly injured that day.

With the new designation, the Secret Service will design and implement a security plan that includes more resources, more agents on the ground, advanced technology to detect weapons and a wider security perimeter around the Capitol.

The federal government works with state and local partners.

Other special national security events include national conventions, the State of the Union, presidential inaugurations, and even the Olympics.

The designation of NSSEs began in 1998. Congress allocated funding for these events beginning in 2006, according to the Congressional Research Service.

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@scrippsnews On January 6, the United States Capitol will have Super Bowl-level security for the counting of electoral votes after being designated a National Special Security Event. Here’s why it matters. #security #election2024 #government #news ♬ original sound – Scripps News