Next year’s Jan. 6 election certification will get extra security to prevent another riot

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — In an effort to prevent another riot like the one on Jan. 6, 2021, the Homeland Security secretary has designated the congressional count and certification of the presidential election as a national special security event. That means the Secret Service will oversee all security-related planning. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas made the designation following a request from the mayor of Washington, D.C. These are particularly high-profile events of national significance that could be targets for terrorists or criminals. Rioters seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election descended on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021.