A Trump supporter was arrested and cited for disorderly conduct at a Delaware County voting center on Monday, sparking allegations of voter suppression from Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley.
The incident occurred on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, as voters waited in line to cast on-demand mail-in ballots at the Voter Service Center at the Government Center Building in Media, Pennsylvania.
Whatley posted a 20-second video on the social media platform X of the arrest of Val Biancaniello, a Republican National Committee delegate, state committeewoman and supporter of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Thank you for sharing this video. That is me in the video being handcuffed and taken away. I broke NO laws. On the other hand, the Bureau of Elections worker telling everyone in line that they “should only be in this line if you have a pressing reason to vote” is VOTER…
— Val Biancaniello (@luckyvalpal) October 29, 2024
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In the video, Biancaniello repeatedly says, “Do not get out of line,” while being led away in handcuffs by two Delaware County Park Police officers who provide security for the building.
“A supporter of President Trump's was arrested today for encouraging people to stay in the early voting line and cast their ballots freely in Pennsylvania,” Whatley wrote. “This follows reports from across the commonwealth that voters are being turned away in conservative areas. This is voter suppression from the left. Do not let them turn you away. GO VOTE!”
Jim Allen, the Director of Elections in Delaware County, told NBC10 Biancaniello was arrested for disorderly conduct following complaints from some voters in line.
Decision 2024
“Park Police approached the person, asked them to follow the rules or leave and they said they weren’t going to leave and they weren’t going to stop so they were charged with disorderly conduct,” Allen said.
Allen told NBC10 he couldn’t tell if there was any video evidence of the woman’s conduct.
“We have complaints from voters. This wasn’t initiated by election officials. This was in response to voters’ complaints,” he said.
When asked what those complaints were, Allen said we "could get those from the Park Police."
“But basically it was about trying to tell people that they shouldn't leave," he said. "That they should stay in line no matter what and who they should vote for.”
Megan Harlan, of Norwood, Pennsylvania, told NBC10 she was in line Monday afternoon to get a mail-in ballot when Biancaniello was arrested.
“She was telling people there was probably about a two-hour wait at the time and just saying, 'Just stay in line. It’s very important.' Answering everybody's questions. People were going up to her.”
Harlan said some voters went up to Park Police to say Biancaniello was interfering with the election.
“It happened literally within like two minutes,” Harlan said. “It just unfolded. They took her. That’s when I found out that she was working for the Republican committee.”
A Delaware County Park Police spokesperson said officials were working to pull surveillance video of the incident. NBC10 requested the police report of the arrest but we have not yet received it.
A Delaware County spokesperson also released a statement on the incident.
“We take voting rights very seriously in Delaware County,” Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor wrote. “Voters have a right to participate in our democracy without being harassed or intimidated, and we applaud our Park Police for calming the disturbance and allowing voting to continue without disruption.”
The statement also included a written response from Allen.
“Providing a safe and convenient voting experience is our top priority,” Allen wrote. “That’s why we have Voter Service Centers in multiple locations throughout the County, where voters can speak with knowledgeable Election staff for assistance—whether they need to request or replace a mail ballot or get answers to any election-related questions. These centers are open six days a week, and we want every voter to know that they will find a safe, welcoming environment at all of our locations.”
Biancaniello was briefly detained and later released. She was issued a summary citation for disorderly conduct, the equivalent of a parking ticket.
In a statement on X, Biancaniello denied trying to influence anyone’s vote and claimed she was simply telling people to stay in line.
“They arrested me and I didn’t break any laws,” she said. “I encouraged people to stay in line and vote because the Democrats were discouraging voters from in-person voting today in Delaware County.”
I was just taken away in handcuffs at the Delaware County, PA Government Center for encouraging people to stay in line and vote. #FightFightFight #Trump2024 #Trump #MAGA #Vote #Delco pic.twitter.com/mFgRQtSf0H
— Val Biancaniello (@luckyvalpal) October 28, 2024
Stay in line and #Vote! They arrested me and I didn’t break any laws. I encouraged people to stay in line and vote because the Democrats were discouraging voters from in person voting today in Delaware County. In fact, the election worker told people in line to go to the… pic.twitter.com/pZoW8sA8Dy
— Val Biancaniello (@luckyvalpal) October 28, 2024
Election bureau workers telling anyone in line that they “should only be in this line for a pressing reason” is a FALSE statement and blatant voter suppression! VOTE! Do not let anyone intimidate you or discourage you from voting! #Trump #SwampTheVote #Pennsylvania #Delco…
— Val Biancaniello (@luckyvalpal) October 28, 2024
Biancaniello also claimed the Chester Heights satellite office ran out of mail-in ballot applications, calling it voter suppression. Allen disputed Biancaniello’s allegation.
“No. we would print them on demand,” Allen said. “We have a system that prints the ballots as we need them. We can’t anticipate who is going to arrive from which municipality so we have systems in place here and there where we use a touch writer to print the ballot based on where the person lives and if we have issue w touch writer we can get another touch writer.”
Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 5 p.m. was the deadline in Pennsylvania for voters to request a mail-in ballot ahead of the upcoming presidential election. Earlier on Tuesday, lines outside the Government Center Building in Media extended more than two hours. Around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, county officials told voters that they had the option to leave their applications with them to get them stamped. They would then have the option to pick them up on Wednesday and officially file their mail-in ballot.
