AAPI Texans Vote 2026: What Ethnic Media Need to Know Ahead of Election Day

By Nasreen Khan, South Asian Chronicle

Texas, 22 October 2026. Early voting is under way across Texas, and on Thursday a panel of voting rights attorneys and community organisers spent an hour explaining to ethnic media what Asian American and Pacific Islander voters need to know before 3 November. The virtual news briefing, AAPI Texans Vote 2026, was hosted by American Community Media (ACoM) and the Asian Law Caucus from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm Central Time, with simultaneous interpreting in Korean and Mandarin.

According to the organisers, the briefing was designed to cover what voters should know, the election protection concerns now emerging, and the stories ethnic media can help bring to light before the midterm elections. Topics on the table included the state’s voter suspense list, voter registration challenges and potential barriers at the polls.

Who Was Speaking

The panel brought together four voices. Kim Leung of the Asian Law Caucus works on democracy and national initiatives. Nina Lea Oishi is a voting rights attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP). Nabila Mansoor leads Asian Texans for Justice as Co Executive Director, and Chanda Parbhoo founded and leads SAAVETX, the South Asian American Voter Empowerment of Texas Education Fund. Full profiles appear at the end of this report.

Reporters from several community outlets joined the session, including a Houston based multicultural platform focused on Asian and South Asian audiences, a South Asian radio and digital network, and a Korean American media platform in Dallas Fort Worth. ACoM’s Sunita Sohrabji and Sandy Close also took part, and Close helped pass along questions for colleagues.

Know the Hotlines Before You Need Them

Several questions centred on one worry. What if a voter is turned away, or sees something that does not look right? Oishi urged voters with problems, concerns or confusion to contact the Election Protection hotlines, which operate in several languages.

• English: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
• Spanish: 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682)
• Asian languages: 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683)
• Arabic: 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287)
• American Sign Language: 301-818-VOTE (301-818-8683)
• Disability Rights Texas: 888-796-VOTE (888-796-8683)

When asked what happens once someone calls about intimidation at a polling place, Leung said the answer depends on the details, which is why reports are so important. She understands that a person being actively intimidated may be unable to call, and she asked bystanders to act as good neighbours and phone it in. The hotline frequently works with election offices and poll workers, and its network of lawyers may seek emergency relief from the courts when the circumstances call for it.

Practical Answers to Everyday Voter Questions

The chat turned into a lively question and answer session, and a few answers are especially useful for families.

Voters who tire easily can ask for a seat. Oishi also explained that Texas law now lets voters with mobility problems move directly to the front of the line. Every polling place must post a sign saying so, and the same notice must appear on the Secretary of State website and on every county elections office website. TCRP and partners shared a page on this rule at texasvoterprotection.org/voting-order-priority-for-mobility-issues.

Voters who wonder about worship centres can rest easy as well. Leung said some places of worship serve as polling places, and Parbhoo confirmed that temples and mosques host voting across Texas. Sohrabji asked how such sites get certified, a question the chat did not answer and one that county election offices could clarify. ACoM also shared a link to its related reporting on mosques.

One participant pointed out that this year’s Texas ballot has 107 races and asked whether voters can complete only part of it. The chat did not record a reply, so reporters may want to confirm the answer with their county elections office before publishing guidance.

Protecting Communities From Misinformation

Misinformation was a central theme. A Houston media founder asked what smaller outlets can do as AI generated election misinformation grows more convincing. Leung answered that outlets can report false or misleading information to local election offices, and that they should avoid amplifying it by resharing. Oishi invited reporters to contact TCRP’s media desk at media@texascivilrightsproject.org, and recommended the Texas Election Code, county websites and the Secretary of State website as reliable sources. She also directed reporters to TCRP’s one page guides at txcivilrights.org/tcrp-voting-rights.

Close added a finding from ACoM’s own research that makes the point urgent. More than one third of Asian Americans are willing to share misinformation even when they know it is false.

Turning Out Communities That Feel Overlooked

A radio broadcaster noted that smaller communities can decide close races, especially further down the ballot, but often believe their vote in Texas carries little weight. Leung described that belief as rooted in a partial truth, because smaller communities have often been ignored. AAPI voters, she said, are under mobilised and less likely to be asked to participate. Trust takes time, she added, which is why groups such as Asian Texans for Justice and SAAVETX work with community members all year to encourage participation and advocacy on the issues that matter to them.

Parbhoo described one effort in action. SAAVETX is bringing busloads of University of Texas at Austin students to Collin County. She was responding to a participant who asked whether TCRP had organised buses for seniors.

Questions Still Hanging in the Air

Not every question received an answer in the chat. Participants asked what the organisations are doing for H1B visa holders in Texas’s technology sector who say executive orders are blocking their route to citizenship. Others asked whether voters can receive incentives to vote, whether an AAPI convention should follow the election, and how comments by Bo French, and a statement against him by Karl Rove, might affect his race. One participant also asked why one major party had invested less in advertising with minority media than the other this year. These questions point to stories that ethnic media may wish to pursue.

Resources for Reporters and Voters

• SAAVETX resources in multiple South Asian languages
• Asian Texans for Justice Ballot Builder and other resources
• TCRP one pagers on accessibility and voting issues
• Asian Law Caucus resources, including its Texas voter suspense list resource
• ACoM research on misinformation sharing among Asian Americans

The Bottom Line

Voting should not depend on language, background or luck. The speakers returned again and again to the same advice. Learn your rights, keep help within reach, verify before you share and ask for assistance when something feels wrong. With Election Day on 3 November, ethnic media have a real chance to carry that message into the homes that need it most.

Meet the Speakers

	Kimberly Leung Staff Attorney, National Democracy Initiative, Asian Law Caucus Kim Leung partners with community organisations and nonprofits on voting rights and civic engagement. Her work includes investigating, litigating and speaking out against violations of voting rights and election laws. She holds a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin, where she interned with the Wisconsin Innocence Project, and a B.A. from the University of Michigan. Raised in a multilingual, limited English speaking household, Kim cares deeply about language and disability access and about racial justice. Based in Chicago, she sits on the boards of the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, the professionals board of CARPLS legal aid and the Chinese American Bar Association of Greater Chicago.
	Nina Lea Oishi Staff Attorney, Voting Rights Program, Texas Civil Rights Project Nina joined TCRP after serving as an assistant county attorney in the Affirmative and Special Litigation Division of the Harris County Attorney’s Office. There she advised on election issues and led a 2025 lawsuit challenging the unlawful federal termination of refugee resettlement programs. Prior to relocating to Texas, she was a Yale Law Journal Public Interest Fellow and clerked for the Honorable Robert E. Bacharach on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Nina earned her J.D. at Yale Law School in 2022.
	Nabila Mansoor Co Executive Director, Asian Texans for Justice and Rise Action Fund Nabila has devoted several years to raising political awareness in underrepresented communities. She leads Asian Texans for Justice and Rise Action Fund, two civic engagement organisations working to unite, organise and support the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in Texas. Her earlier roles include President of Asian American Democrats of Texas, President of the Texas Multicultural Advocacy Coalition and founding Executive Director of Emgage’s Texas chapter. She led the Empowering Communities Initiative’s 2020 Census project to help ensure a full count of Houston’s AAPI population, serves on the Board of Municipal Utility District 137 and holds a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center. Her background spans community organising, leadership development and strategic planning.
	Chanda Parbhoo Founder and President, SAAVETX Education Fund A South Asian mother and longtime advocate from Dallas, Chanda started SAAVETX in 2017 after noticing that South Asians in Texas were neither being counted nor courted in politics. Her earlier work included volunteering in local schools, advocating for equitable education and organising against rising hate crimes. SAAVETX Education Fund is now a statewide civic network that develops South Asian leaders in Houston, Austin, Dallas and beyond, supporting thousands through voter registration, education, leadership development and community mobilisation. It has built relationships with more than 50 elected officials, from federal representatives to local leaders. The organisation is not political. It is rooted in education, empowerment and civic participation, and it envisions a Texas where every South Asian feels seen, heard and represented.