TOWN OF MANLIUS, NY - Manlius town Democrats broke tradition when they swept the November election, flipping control of the board from Republican to Democrat.

Three of the four newly elected Democratic councilors broke tradition again last week when they decided not to be sworn in with a Bible. Instead, they used the town’s book of codes.

John Deer, Elaine Denton and Heather Waters each chose to put their hand on the codes book for the swearing in ceremony on Dec. 30 in the town hall. The fourth Democrat, Katelyn Kriesel, stuck with the Bible, as did other town officials sworn in.

Why not use the Bible?

Deer said he decided not to use a Bible because he is an atheist, and also because he believes in the separation of church and state.

"I just thought it was the right thing to do,'' he said.

Waters also said separation of church and state is what motivated her to use a text other than the Bible.

She said she first considered using something written by Matilda Joslyn Gage, because that would mean something to her personally. Gage was a women’s suffragist, abolitionist and author who lived in Fayetteville in the 1800s.

Waters said she chose the codes book to be neutral, she said.

"I really wanted to be clear that I would be representing the people no matter what their faith or their beliefs,'' she said.

Denton said she used the codes book because she took an oath to represent the people, and using the codes book “seemed more appropriate for me.”

Kriesel said she opted to use the Bible because she regularly attends Immaculate Conception, a Catholic church in Fayetteville, and said she is religious.

“I have always been a spiritual person, and it’s important to me to reflect that in my commitment to the town," she said.

Jonathan Parent, an assistant professor of political science at Le Moyne College, said using a Bible or other book in a swearing-in ceremony is not required by law or the U.S. Constitution, but it is a tradition embedded in history.

"It’s a tradition that dates back to George Washington,'' Parent said. “It’s a historic practice - something that’s an entirely cultural thing.”

Using a text other than the Bible is pretty unusual, but not unheard of, Le Moyne’s Parent said.

Newly elected U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), and Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) took the oath of office on the Quran last January. Both are Muslim-Americans.

Krysten Sinema, a new Democratic senator from Arizona, took her oath using a law book that contained both the U.S.'s and Arizona’s constitutions, according to news reports.

John Quincy Adams used a law book when he was sworn in as U.S. president in 1825, according to the The New England Historical Society.

In August, a St. Louis County, MO councilwoman chose to be sworn in on the popular Dr. Seuss book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!"

The Manlius ceremony

Here is a video taken by the Manlius Democrats of the swearing-in ceremony. The first new board member to be sworn in using the codes book starts at 3:00.