At a critical 2026 election briefing with ethnic media, top legal minds and civil rights leaders unpacked disinformation, voter suppression, and what’s truly at stake for immigrant communities.
As the 2026 midterms approach, ethnic media gathered for a high-stakes briefing hosted by American Community Media (ACOM), moderated by veteran journalist Pilar Marrero. The goal: to confront a new wave of federal overreach and legal maneuvers threatening access to the ballot. Speakers included Justin Levitt, Professor of Law at Loyola Law School (LMU), former White House Senior Advisor for Democracy and Voting Rights, and former DOJ Civil Rights Division official; Danielle Lang, Vice President for Voting Rights and the Rule of Law at the Campaign Legal Center and Adjunct Law Professor; John C. Yang, President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC; and Andrea Senteno, D.C. Regional Counsel at MALDEF, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.
Each brought a unique perspective from the front lines of law and civil rights advocacy. Together, they addressed an unprecedented move by the Justice Department demanding voter rolls, ballots, and access to election equipment from nearly every state and Washington, DC. More than 20 states have been sued for refusing. Meanwhile, new legislation in Congress threatens to tighten voter ID rules, mandate voter roll purges, and restrict mail-in voting. These maneuvers, panelists warned, are more than bureaucratic overreach—they’re shaping the battlefield for who gets to vote and how elections are contested.
What Democracy Looks Like, Under Threat
Justin Levitt pulled no punches. “The President is trying to project power he does not have,” Levitt said, referring to executive actions that aim to reshape voting rules and override state processes. While the legal system has repeatedly blocked these overreaches, Levitt warned that their true aim may not be legal success but psychological warfare—to erode public trust.
“It’s marketing,” he said. “It’s noise meant to stir chaos, to make people believe their votes won’t count. But most state and local officials are just ignoring it.”
Still, Levitt emphasized the need for vigilance. Mid-decade redistricting, attempts to collect state voter rolls, and court-bluffed executive orders are not just tactics—they’re signals. “The real danger isn’t just in what passes,” he said. “It’s in what people are made to believe about the system—that it’s rigged, that their votes don’t matter.”
He likened it to hearing fire alarms in the distance—even if your house isn’t burning, the smoke fills the air.
The Legal Line of Defense
Danielle Lang brought forward a narrative of resistance grounded in legal precedent. Her team’s litigation work has resulted in multiple injunctions against executive overreach, including an executive order that sought to reshape the federal voter registration form.
“Not only did we stop it,” she said, “we got the courts to affirm: the President has no constitutional power over elections. That power belongs to the states and Congress.”
For immigrant voters, this legal victory was more than procedural—it was symbolic. The federal form, often translated into multiple languages, is essential for newly naturalized citizens and communities with limited English proficiency. Trying to rewrite it, Lang argued, was an attempt to silence the very people democracy should be welcoming.
Lang shared how the League of Women Voters had been banned from registering new citizens at naturalization ceremonies—a change her organization is actively challenging in court. “That moment after a new American takes their oath, that’s sacred,” she said. “It’s like handing someone a candle and then refusing to let them light it.”
Asian American Communities on the Frontlines
John C. Yang spoke not only as a legal advocate but as a member of a community whose political voice is rapidly growing—and just as rapidly under threat.
“Voting is a right,” he opened. “Not a privilege. And when you see the data, it’s clear: Asian American participation is rising. That’s exactly why it’s being targeted.”
Yang described a powerful metaphor: for many in his community, voting is not just an act—it’s a ceremony. “It’s like a family elder handing down a tradition,” he said. *”One generation learned how to vote through struggle. Now they’re trying to teach the next.”
But the hurdles remain steep: disinformation campaigns in multiple Asian languages, restrictive voter ID laws that fail to account for transliterated names, and in-person voting obstacles that disproportionately affect naturalized citizens.
Yang recounted a case where a young voter with a disability was denied help at the polls. Through their hotline and legal escalation, she was eventually able to vote. “These stories aren’t outliers,” he said. “They are the quiet norm that we must interrupt.”
Latino Voters and the Burden of Proof
Andrea Senteno’s message was firm: the Latino electorate is growing fast—and so are the efforts to silence it.
“Proof-of-citizenship laws, ICE at polling places, national voter ID bills—these aren’t just policies,” she said. “They are designed to intimidate. To exclude.”
With Latinos making up 19% of the U.S. population, the community’s power is undeniable. But access remains unequal. Many lack immediate access to documents like birth certificates or passports. Inconsistent name spellings and database errors disproportionately impact naturalized citizens.
“It’s like asking someone to prove they belong to a house they helped build,” Senteno said. *”And when they can’t produce the deed on demand, they’re locked out.”
Beyond the headline-grabbing bills, she emphasized how technical tweaks in voting law—like limiting who can assist voters—have devastating consequences. Her team at MALDEF is actively challenging these measures in places like Arkansas and Arizona.
Voting as an Act of Resistance
If there was a throughline in ACOM’s ethnic media briefing, it was this: Immigrant communities are not passive recipients of policy. They are the architects of democracy.
Whether it’s through hotlines in 10 languages, lawsuits against executive orders, or helping a neighbor understand their ballot, the fight for voting rights is not theoretical—it is everyday work.
Danielle Lang closed with a call to action: “These laws aren’t just happening to voters. Voters have agency. And when they show up, they change everything.”
John C. Yang said it best: “Our voices, our votes—they matter. And we’re not going anywhere.”
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