U.S. Attorney Miles Appoints Prosecutor to Combat Voter Fraud

Grand Rapids federal prosecutors are locking and loading for Election Day 2016, with U.S. Attorney Patrick Miles appointing a seasoned prosecutor to hunt down voter fraud, intimidation, and discrimination. The target: any force standing between qualified voters and the ballot box.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Daniels, a federal prosecutor with over 30 years on the job, has been tapped as the Western District of Michigan’s official Election Officer. From now through polls closing on November 8, Daniels will lead the charge, fielding complaints and fast-tracking investigations into any attempt to sabotage the vote. He’s reachable at (616) 808-2014 until the final ballot is cast.

Miles made it clear: the Justice Department is treating election integrity like a crime scene. “My office and the U.S. Department of Justice will ensure that all qualified voters have the opportunity to cast their ballots and have their votes counted free of discrimination, intimidation or fraud in the election process,” he said. That’s not a slogan—it’s a warning.

Daniels won’t be working alone. He’s backed by local FBI agents and the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, enforcing federal statutes like the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, and the Help America Vote Act. These laws target election practices that disenfranchise minority language groups or racial minorities, ban voter intimidation, and mandate accessible voting for the disabled and provisional ballots for wrongly purged voters.

The crackdown extends beyond civil enforcement. The U.S. Attorney’s office is synced with the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section to nail down federal criminal charges where voter suppression is rooted in race, color, national origin, or religion. That means real prison time for anyone caught strong-arming democracy.

On Election Day, the Civil Rights Division will deploy monitors at polling sites nationwide, while attorneys in Washington, D.C., stand by to act on complaints. Voters can report issues via hotline at 1-800-253-3931, TTY 202-305-0082, email, fax, or online form at justice.gov/crt/voting-section. Violent threats? Call local law enforcement—immediately.