Bucks Co. Sheriff Joins Nationwide Call For Fair Elections

DOYLESTOWN, PA — Ahead of November's election, Bucks County Sheriff Danny Ceisler joined sheriffs from around the nation in signing a pledge to affirm their commitment to protecting voters and respecting outcomes on Election Day.

"The Sheriff Pledge for Free and Fair Elections" is a public commitment by sheriffs to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law by protecting people’s right to vote without fear or intimidation. They also affirm their duties and promise to leave election administration to trained election officials and courts.

"This pledge shouldn't be necessary, but other sheriffs who have abandoned their oaths to chase baseless claims of voter fraud have compelled me to join colleagues from across the country in making this commitment,” said Sheriff Ceisler. “The Bucks County Sheriff’s Office will protect the integrity of the electoral process and ensure that law enforcement plays its proper role in safeguarding our elections against interference.”

The pledge initiative began in response to the “Constitutional Sheriffs” movement, ongoing threats from the current administration to deploy ICE agents and troops to polling places, and cases of sheriffs interfering with elections and election results. It directly calls on sheriffs to not permit ICE presence at or near election-related offices or events.

The pledge also responds to concerns about sheriffs acting outside their role in election administration, citing examples of sheriffs who independently pursue voter fraud investigations and seize election materials. It emphasized that decisions on handling, counting, and administering elections belong to election officials and courts — not law enforcement.

Joining Ceisler at a press conference announcing the pledge were Sheriff Paul Heroux of Bristol County, Massachusetts, and Sheriff Aaron Appelhans of Albany County, Wyoming. Other participants included Ann Toback, CEO of the Workers Circle; Amber Walker, Deputy Director of Sheriff Accountability Action; Brad Ashwell of All Voting is Local; and Susan Douglas, community organizer in Alexandria, Virginia.

“I am happy to sign the pledge,” said Appelhans. “As sheriff, we help secure elections by collaborating closely with local election officials to assess security risks, providing physical protection for polling places and ballot processing facilities, safeguarding the secure transportation of election materials, and impartially investigating any threats to uphold lawful, transparent, and accessible voting for all citizens.”

Added Walker, “It is disappointing that sheriffs, elected officials who should understand the importance of protecting our elections, are actively undermining our democracy. As participants in our electoral process, they should be champions of election safety, working to ensure equity throughout our democratic process. The duty of sheriffs lies in protecting the vote and not interfering. We call on every sheriff to join the signers of this pledge to affirm their commitment to their communities by upholding free and fair elections.”

Toback described the Sheriff Election Pledge as "bigger than any one office or any one election. It's about whether voters nationwide can trust that the people sworn to protect them will actually do that — protect them, and their right to vote, free of interference. I’m encouraged to say that as we approach the midterm elections, more sheriffs are signing on and more community leaders are signing up to talk with their sheriff about signing the pledge."

"Voting is a right and a responsibility enabling us to keep our democracy alive. Citizens are entitled to a safe, fair election process,” said Douglas. “ In this time of heated rhetoric about armed federal agents at the polls, which is explicitly prohibited by federal law, it is imperative that residents know their safety is ensured when they go to vote. Sheriffs who take this important election pledge are providing that needed assurance to their communities."