“We know that fear can silence people,” said Vandana Kumar, publisher of India Currents, during an October 30 American Community Media briefing examining the mood of voters across the country ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Six journalists covering Native American, Latino, Black, Asian American and Arab American communities shared what they were hearing from voters. Although their communities face different challenges, rising living costs, immigration enforcement and concerns about civil rights emerged as common themes.
Lori Edmo, editor of the Sho-Ban News on Idaho's Fort Hall Indian Reservation, said federal funding cuts were affecting programs that tribal communities depend on.
She emphasized the federal government's treaty and trust responsibilities to tribes, along with growing concerns about public lands and access to traditional hunting and fishing areas.
“Water is life, and that's the most important thing to us to protect our natural resources,” Edmo said.
She reported increased interest in voting among tribal members, including early participation, as communities considered how federal decisions could affect their rights and services.
In Los Angeles, Nestor Fantini, co-editor of HispanicLA, described two major concerns among Latino voters: the cost of living and immigration enforcement.
He cited a UCLA study finding that 76% of registered Latino voters in California were worried about keeping up with living expenses, while 40% had reduced grocery spending.
Fantini also described fear of immigration enforcement near polling places. Yet he said that fear was accompanied by determination to vote.
In New York, journalist Rong Xiaoqing reported strong early voting interest in Chinese neighborhoods. She said immigration enforcement had affected local businesses, with restaurants and transportation services losing customers as residents became more reluctant to travel.
Meanwhile, Kumar described growing uncertainty among Indian American technology workers in Silicon Valley. Layoffs, artificial intelligence and changing immigration policies have left some families worried about their financial stability and ability to remain in the United States.
In Mississippi, Dr. Edelia Carthan, a contributor to The Mississippi Link, pointed to the state's history of Black voter suppression and the possibility of electing a Black U.S. senator for the first time since Reconstruction.
She said high grocery prices, healthcare access and opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion policies were motivating political engagement.
Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News in Dearborn, Michigan, described growing hostility toward Arab and Muslim Americans. He said his community was responding by encouraging greater voter participation.
Throughout the discussion, journalists emphasized the importance of community-based reporting in helping voters understand how government decisions affect their daily lives.
Kumar explained that ethnic media offers something particularly valuable: reporters who understand the histories, languages and experiences of the communities they cover.
For these journalists, the central question was whether growing concern about the country's direction would translate into participation at the ballot box.
