Watchdog.org explains the name game being played by Texas State Rep. Trey “Martinez” Fischer – real name Ferdinand Frank Fischer III – who is Chairman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus (MALC) that’s currently suing to challenge Texas’ voter ID law:

There’s no mystery why Fischer would want to pretend to be named Martinez. Sixty percent of the voting-age population in his district is Hispanic, and the percentage is even higher among Democrats. Six of the seven Democratic state representatives from Bexar County use Hispanic last names; the other five, as far as we know, have every right to do so.

Do Democrats like Fischer really believe they can’t get elected without a “Spanish surname” on the ballot? But beyond the obvious identity politics at play, Fischer’s use of an alias to run for public office appears to raise legal questions: 

The question is why he’s been allowed to use the name Martinez on ballots for more than a decade, when Texas law requires candidates to use their real names, with an allowance for one legitimate nickname.  

The San Antonio Democrat was elected seven times, from 2000 through 2012, under the name Trey Martinez Fischer, with no indication that either “Trey” or “Martinez” are nicknames and not part of his legal name. 

Fischer displayed the same level of truthfulness in a deposition opposing Texas’ voter ID law:

His story was that his own mother would be one of those poor people disenfranchised by a requirement to show a driver license when voting.  “My mother doesn’t have one,” was his exact quote. The media lapped it up, as actual examples of this sort of disenfranchised voter are nearly impossible to find.

During Fischer’s deposition in the federal case, a lawyer for the state of Texas confronted Fischer with a current copy of his mother’s driver license. It was valid when Fischer had given his press conference, and it had recently been renewed until 2017. Fischer had lied.

Fischer was on Eric Holder’s witness list as Trey Martinez Fischer.  He appears to be registered to vote in Bexar County under the name Ferdinand Martinez Fischer III, while the property at which he’s registered to vote is in the name Ferdinand Frank Fischer III.  One wonders which of these names appears on the government-issued photo ID he’ll be required to present when voting this year.