Feds call vote certification a 'special security event' ahead of 2025 count

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday said the 2025 vote count would be designated a "National Special Security Event."

The first-time designation comes after supporters of former President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, while Congress was certifying President Joe Biden's election victory.

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser sought the designation. The House Select January 6 Committee and the Government Accountability Office also called for the designation, according to U.S. Secret Service.

"National Special Security Events are events of the highest national significance," said Eric Ranaghan, the Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service's Dignitary Protective Division. "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 Executive Steering Committee, made up of senior representatives from federal, state and local law enforcement, is planning the for the 2025 vote certification, according to the Secret Service. It will begin meeting in the coming weeks.

"This designation allows for significant resources from the federal government, as well as from state and local partners, to be utilized in a comprehensive security plan," according to the U.S. Secret Service. "When an event is designated a National Special Security Event, the U.S. Secret Service assumes its mandated role as the lead agency for the design and implementation of the operational security plan."