Texas lawmakers and rights group respond to fake political mailers

Texas lawmakers and advocacy groups are responding to a coordinated impersonation campaign involving fraudulent mailers and text messages sent to residents ahead of the midterm elections. The materials falsely claim to represent the Texas Transgender Student Union, an entity with no social media presence that was recently incorporated in Wyoming through a private registered agent.

The Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) has filed a petition in Travis County court to identify the parties responsible. TENT reports that the mailers include links to their legitimate organization and contain inflammatory content that has resulted in threats of violence against their staff.

West Texas District Attorney Sarah Stogner has launched a criminal investigation into the matter, suggesting the campaign may be a politically motivated attempt to influence voters. In response to the incident, state leaders, including State Rep. Venton Jones, have suggested that new legislation may be required to prevent the impersonation of organizations in political communications.