The “Unity Commitment” is being led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Don Bacon (R-NE) as a way to “safeguard the fairness and integrity” of the November election, even as former President Donald Trump has already begun suggesting that Democrats may attempt to cheat to win. Twenty-six Democrats signed on to the pledge as well as six Republicans. 

“After this election, America will have the rule of the mob unless the commonsense majority stands up,” the pledge states. “It’s never been more critical for our leaders to embrace the enduring idea that America is and must always be one nation.”

The three-part pledge vows to acknowledge the winner as the “legitimate President” when Congress meets to certify the results in January 2025. It also includes promises to attend the inauguration ceremony in person as well as speak out against those who “endorse or engage in violence” — hoping to avoid a repeat of when Trump supporters breached the Capitol in an effort to halt the certification of Biden’s win on Jan. 6, 2021.

“Respect for our democracy, the greatest democracy in the entire world, cannot — and should not — be a partisan issue,” Gottheimer said in a statement. “Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have a responsibility to demonstrate true leadership ahead of this critical election and serve as a voice for calm.”

All six of the Republicans, including co-sponsor Bacon, are running in competitive House districts that Biden won in 2020. The other Republican signers are Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), Nick LaLota (R-NY), and Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY).

None of those lawmakers were among the 139 House Republicans who voted against certifying Biden’s victory in 2020. All but Bacon and Fitzpatrick were not yet sworn into office. 

The pledge comes as Trump has repeatedly said the 2020 election was stolen from him, amplifying that claim during his debate against Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this week. Trump has also begun to accuse Democrats of “importing voters” from foreign countries to vote in U.S. elections, which he has warned may alter the election results in November.

“They are allowing these people to come in. … They are signing them up to vote,” Trump said at a campaign event in January. “That’s why you are having millions of people pour into our country, and it could very well affect the next election.”

Federal law requires registration forms to compel voters to swear under penalty of perjury that they are citizens of the United States. Additionally, voters must provide proof of a driver’s license or Social Security number for election officials to verify their identity in U.S. databases. 

The pledge acknowledges several states will likely face legal challenges to their election results, as was the case in 2020. However, the pledge vows to accept the results of those challenges.

“In America we respect election results especially once the courts and appeals work through the process,” Bacon said in a statement. “We fight hard to win during campaigns and then respect the results when the votes are counted. We are the greatest country in the world, and we are governed by the rule of law. The citizens are sovereign, and they decide.”