The mail pieces presented themselves as a resource guide for transgender students facing unsupportive families and directed readers to established LGBTQ organizations. But the Transgender Education Network of Texas said it had no role in the effort, stating that the mailers and related text messages were not authored, approved or distributed by the organization and did not represent its official communications.

The mailers identified their sender as the Texas Transgender Student Union. Wyoming business records list that name as a limited liability company registered in Sheridan, at a building associated with hundreds of thousands of business registrations, according to the reporting. Campaign-finance expert Anna Massoglia, an editor at MuckRock, said groups seeking privacy commonly register in Wyoming and Delaware, where disclosure requirements can be limited.

Because the mailers do not explicitly endorse or oppose a candidate or ballot measure, they may fall into a gray area of political-advertising rules, Massoglia said. “It doesn’t necessarily provide a lot of information on who is funding it,” she said.

Transgender issues have featured prominently in the race involving Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and state lawmaker James Talarico. Massoglia said the timing of the mailers could have been intended to provoke an emotional response, confuse voters or encourage them to take part in the election; the mailers’ purpose and funder have not been established.

Roughly $500 million has been spent on the race, according to the reporting. The Federal Election Commission currently lacks a quorum, limiting its ability to act on election-related complaints. That leaves voters with unanswered questions about the accuracy and legality of political mail and texts as voting proceeds.