Woman behind voting integrity letter has ties to Fort Worth Police Department

Despite Tarrant County policy that allows voters to cast their ballots at any location, a local early voter received a letter that questioned the validity of their ballot because it was cast in a different neighborhood than where they live.

That letter, which was called misleading by the Tarrant County elections office last week, was hand-delivered by a woman with ties to the Fort Worth Police Department. The letter delivery does not appear to violate any laws. However, a civil rights attorney told the Star-Telegram he found the connection with the police department to be “troubling.”

The letter listed the voter’s name, home address, voting date and voting location, all of which is public information. The letter then asked the voter to confirm that they had indeed voted at the listed location, which was in Stop Six.

The elections office posted a redacted version of the letter, which blocks out the name of the registered voter and the signature of the sender. However, the unredacted letter, which the Star-Telegram obtained, was signed by Karen Wiseman. The Star-Telegram also obtained a doorbell camera screenshot that shows Wiseman standing at the voter’s home with a letter in her hand.

It’s unclear whether there were additional letters delivered to voters in Tarrant County.

Wiseman, of Fort Worth, is listed as the president of 5 Stones Foundation, a nonprofit organization that “exists to support anti-trafficking and victim advocacy efforts in Tarrant County,” according to the organization’s website. The foundation financially supports the 5 Stones Taskforce, which falls under the umbrella of the Fort Worth Police Department’s Human Trafficking Unit.

The 5 Stones Taskforce program coordinator, Felicia Grantham, who has a city of Fort Worth email address, said in emails that the task force is “an arm” of the police department, but added that the task force itself has no budget and is staffed by volunteers. A police spokesperson said the department is also a member of the task force.

Grantham said that the task force has no connection with the letter that Wiseman delivered.

Grantham described the situation as filled with “massive misinformation,” and said that Wiseman would take a phone call from the Star-Telegram. However, Wiseman did not respond to numerous requests for comment Monday. The head of the county election office also didn’t reply to a request for comment.

The letter Wiseman delivered could have a chilling effect on voters, said James Slattery, senior supervising legislative attorney for the Texas Civil Rights Project.

“For you to receive a letter like this suggesting that your perfectly lawful vote could somehow be a problem is very intimidating,” he said.

The connection between Wiseman and the police department is “troubling,” Slattery said, because of the possibility that Wiseman or 5 Stones could have added influence within the police department.

“I think that basic questions need to be answered about whether this group is using that relationship,” Slattery said.

Grantham said both the 5 Stones task force and foundation are “non-partisan, non-political organizations” and “do not engage or participate in any political activities like those described” in the Star-Telegram’s request for comment.

Cpl. Joshua Jackson, of the Fort Worth Police Department, said in an email that the department had not heard about the letter until the Star-Telegram requested comment for this story.

Along with community initiatives such as social media campaigns and expert panels, the task force has partnered with the Texas governor’s office to develop a mentor program, according to the task force’s police department web page. The task force also counts among its partners the Tarrant County Sheriff Office and Tarrant County College.

The foundation was awarded a certificate of recognition by the Fort Worth mayor and City Council. It became a United Way charity in 2021.

In January 2022, the 5 Stones Foundation received grant funds to purchased surveillance equipment for the police department “to be used to gather evidence needs to prosecute sex traffickers operating in Tarrant County,” according to the foundation’s Form 990.

Tactics ranging from confusing to intimidating have proliferated across the country ahead of the midterm election, which is the first time many voters have headed to the polls since former President Donald Trump popularized “Stop the Steal.” The movement has been based on the unfounded claims that the 2020 election was rife with fraud. Top officials, including FBI Director Christopher Wray and then-Attorney General William Barr, have disputed Trump’s claims and said that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

A group of Tarrant County activists has spent more than a year auditing the county’s 2020 election results, in a search for election fraud, according to a report by the news outlet Votebeat. Their efforts have produced “no compelling evidence of mass fraud,” according to Votebeat.

Late last month, Pennsylvania voters took to Twitter to report they’ve received letters from the Voter Participation Center containing incorrect voting history information.

The Texas Civil Rights Project also said it received reports of a precinct chair of the Travis County Republican Party going door to door accusing voters of illegally voting by mail, Texas Public Radio reported.