Trump stokes voter fraud fears in Pennsylvania as counties investigate and state urges patience

By CNN Newsource

Published October 29, 2024 7:24 PM

By Danny Freeman, Zachary Cohen and Majlie de Puy Kamp, CNN

(CNN) — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed two Pennsylvania counties are experiencing voter fraud despite both officials there maintaining they’re still investigating potential issues related to voter registration applications.

A week from Election Day, the former president and the Republican National Committee appear to be laying the groundwork to challenge voting results if Trump loses. The former president did not wait for the results of the York and Lancaster county investigations before stoking fears on social media about allegedly fraudulent voter registration applications, even as Pennsylvania’s secretary of state asked the public for patience. And, in a separate instance, the RNC joined the Trump campaign in pushing claims of “voter suppression,” as election officials in the critical battleground pushed back.

“Wow! York County, Pennsylvania, received THOUSANDS of potentially FRUADULENT Voter Registration Forms and Mail-In Ballot Applications from a third party group,” Trump wrote Tuesday in a post on X that received over 1 million views in just a few hours.

“This on top of Lancaster County being caught with 2600 Fake Ballots and Forms, all written by the same person. Really bad ‘stuff.’ WHAT IS GOING ON IN PENNSYLVANIA??? Law Enforcement must do their job, immediately!!! WOW!!!” he continued.

Trump and RNC officials have increasingly floated claims about potential issues with mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania in the lead-up to November 5, as the former president’s allies also target mail-in ballots in court.

State and county officials, meanwhile, have sought to reassure voters that they are investigating any alleged issues with the mail-in ballot process and that they are seeking to protect the integrity of the election process at this early stage.

Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source” Tuesday night that the allegations are “more of the same” from Trump, adding that as the state’s attorney general he defeated 43 challenges to the 2020 vote count from the former president “and his allies.”

“I understand that Donald Trump wants to again use the same playbook where he tries to create chaos and stoke division and fear about our system. But again, we will have a free and fair, safe, and secure election in Pennsylvania, and the will of the people will be respected and protected,” Shapiro added.

Suspected voter registration fraud under investigation

Last week, law enforcement and election officials in Lancaster County announced they had identified “incidents of suspected voter registration fraud.” The suspected fraud, according to the bipartisan board of elections and the county’s district attorney, likely stemmed from “a large-scale canvassing operation” that submitted registration applications with duplicate handwriting and inaccurate or unverifiable addresses.

The officials said “approximately 2,500 voter registration forms have been contained and segregated” to be reviewed and investigated but did not say how many of those have been found to be fraudulent.

While announcing the suspected fraud, Lancaster officials said at least two other counties may have also received fraudulent voter registration applications.

On Tuesday, York County spokesperson Greg Monskie would not confirm to CNN whether it had received fraudulent voter registration applications and couldn’t speak to any connection with the issues alleged in Lancaster County.

In a statement, York County President Commissioner Julie Wheeler said the county had received a “large delivery containing thousands of election-related materials from a third-party organization,” and that “those material appear to include completed voter registration forms, as well as mail-in ballot applications.”

CNN has reached out to the Lancaster County Board of Elections for an update following Trump’s latest claims.

“As with all submissions, our staff follows a process for ensuring all voter registrations and mail-in ballot requests are legal. That process is currently underway,” Wheeler said. “If suspected fraud is identified, we will alert the District Attorney’s Office, which will then conduct an investigation.”

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt, a Republican, acknowledged the ongoing investigations in York and Lancaster in a video briefing Tuesday.

“The department has been in touch with these counties from the very beginning to provide guidance to them as they conduct their investigations and will continue to support them as needed,” he said.

Election officials push back on claims of ‘voter suppression’

In Delaware County, officials are pushing back on earlier claims from the Trump campaign and the RNC that “voter suppression” occurred after an incident Monday at a local polling site where county officials say a woman was removed because she was “disruptive, belligerent, and attempting to influence voters waiting in line.”

RNC Chairman Michael Whatley shared a video of the woman in handcuffs on X, claiming that “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.”

“This is voter suppression from the left. Don’t let them turn you away,” he wrote.

The Trump campaign later amplified the incident in a press release.

The interaction took place at the Voter Service Center in Media, Pennsylvania, the seat of the suburban Philadelphia county.

According to a statement from a county spokesperson, a woman was arrested and removed from the building after she, “according to multiple eyewitnesses, was disruptive, belligerent, and attempting to influence voters waiting in line.”

“Her behavior prompted several complaints from those in line. Delaware County Park Police — who provide security for the Government Center Building — were on-site and responded promptly to the disturbance,” the statement continued.

Val Biancaniello, the woman who was detained, appears to be one of the GOP certified electors this cycle, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State. CNN has reached out to Biancaniello for comment.

After the incident, Biancaniello posted on X, “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 response, Delaware County Council Chair Monica Taylor said in a statement to CNN that the county takes “voting rights very seriously,” adding: “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 Delaware County district attorney’s office confirmed to CNN that Biancaniello was “briefly detained” and said she “will be receiving a citation for disorderly conduct (a summary offense similar to a traffic ticket).”

Linda Kerns, an attorney who represents the RNC and the Trump campaign, told CNN on Tuesday that her team was still attempting to gather information about the incident in Media.

A lack of clarity about the incident in Media has not stopped Republican operatives and pro-Trump influencers from seizing on the video and claiming it is an example of “voter suppression from the left.” Meanwhile, the RNC is continuing its legal battle over Pennsylvania’s mail-in ballots and has filed an emergency petition to the Supreme Court.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN’s Jack Forrest contributed to this report.