Texas state Rep. Betty Brown's comments on Asian American names were just the tip of the iceberg on the issue of voting rights for Texans.

Emails and phone calls to Betty Brown's office is great, but she can ignore many of those, especially those from out of state. She's also in a Republican-heavy district, making it difficult to fundraise for her Democratic opponent in the next election.

We're doing the next best thing: Let's raise funds to support in the next election those candidates for the Texas Legislature who oppose SB 362 and any other legislation that would create more barriers between voters and ballot box, while doing nothing to solve voter fraud.

The fundraising campaign is more about the number of donors rather than the amount raised. We'd rather see 1,000 donors giving a few dollars than raising $1,000 from only a handful of people.

Skip a bagel, coffee or a beer and DONATE TODAY, even just a few dollars.

The Republican photo Voter ID bill, SB 362, will place new bureaucratic barriers between you and the ballot box while doing nothing to solve voter fraud. The Texas Democratic Party will continue our fight to defeat this legislation and speak out against the Republican agenda to suppress Texans' votes, which violates the most sacred right in our democracy.

This is not a typical Democrat vs. Republican fight, because in this battle Republicans are the only ones playing partisan politics. Virtually every academic study, legitimate non-partisan groups like the AARP and the League of Women Voters, and every major Texas newspaper editorial board oppose this Voter ID proposal.

Health care is out of reach for millions of Texans, insurance is unaffordable for millions more, and tuition is so costly that Texans can no longer even dream of a college education for their children. Instead of addressing these critical issues, Republicans remain focused on photo Voter ID legislation, putting partisanship over progress.

Texans expect their leaders to put aside partisan extremism and deal with real problems, but Republicans are wasting time on a problem that doesn't exist so they can create barriers to voting, pandering to their extreme right wing.