San Francisco is cracking down on the long-standing practice of candidates choosing their own Chinese names to appear on the ballot as a way to appeal to Asian American voters.
Traditionally, candidates for elected office — including those who are not Chinese — have strategically selected Chinese names to convey certain personality traits, seemingly to bolster their image.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, for example, took the name 謝安宜, pronounced Xie An Yi in Mandarin and Ze On Ji in Cantonese, meaning “safety and pleasant” in the 2022 special election.
And in 2010, Michael Nava unsuccessfully ran for San Francisco Superior Court judge with the name 李正平, pronounced Li Zheng Ping in Mandarin, meaning “correct and fair.”
But now, the city’s Department of Elections is adopting a policy that requires candidates to submit evidence that shows an established use of a Chinese name for at least two years, according to memorandum last week from the department’s director.
“The Department understands the [Board of Supervisors’] concerns regarding potential abuses of names and transliteration,” the memorandum said.
The Department of Elections did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
Besides the issue of selectively boosting one’s campaign, there’s also the possibility of double dipping and a Chinese candidate feeling a sense of cultural appropriation when it comes to choosing a Chinese name.
The use of Chinese names in elections came under scrutiny in October after Democratic County Central Committee candidate Emma Heiken took the name 馬凱勤, pronounced Ma Hoi Kan in Cantonese, saying that her friends and family had given it to her. But the two characters 凱勤, the equivalent of a first name, were the same as the name of her opponent, Natalie Gee — only Gee has had the name since birth. Gee, whose full Chinese name is 朱凱勤, pronounced Zyu Hoi Kan, had demanded her opponent stop using the moniker.
She…
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