Lawmaker Wants 'Easier' Asian Names

AUSTIN - A North Texas lawmaker said Asian-American voters should change their names to something that are "easier" for poll workers to deal with, according to the Houston Chronicle.

State Rep. Betty Brown, R-Terrell made the comment during a discussion on voter identification legislation Wednesday.

The Texas Democratic Party demanded an apology. A spokesman for Brown said the lawmaker was not being racist, but only trying to overcome problems for Asian voters.

The Chronicle reports that Brown made the comments when Ramey Ko, a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans was testifying about changes that people of Chinese, Korean and Japanese descent sometimes make to their names.

“Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?” Brown reportedly told Ko.