From immigration raids and rising living costs to civil rights and the American dream, six ethnic media journalists reveal what’s motivating communities to vote—and what could hold them back.
Magazine, The Immigrant Experience
On October 3, 1984, Osama Siblani became an American citizen.
He remembers President Ronald Reagan encouraging the new citizens gathered at the naturalization ceremony to hold on to their cultures, remember where they came from, and share their traditions with fellow Americans.
For Siblani, who had come to America seeking opportunities unavailable in his homeland, those words meant something.
More than four decades later, the publisher of The Arab American News in Dearborn, Michigan, is worried about the country he chose to call home.
After 42 years in journalism, he says he has never witnessed such hostility toward Arab and Muslim Americans.
His story captures one of the questions hanging over the November 3 midterm elections: What happens when people begin to question whether the country they have built their lives in still welcomes them?
For others, the concerns are immediate. Can they afford groceries? Will they keep their jobs? Are their loved ones safe from immigration enforcement? Will their children have better opportunities?
These were among the issues raised during an October 30 journalists’ roundtable hosted by American Community Media (ACoM).
Moderated by Associate Editor Pilar Marrero, the discussion brought together six journalists covering Indian American, Latino, Chinese American, Native American, Black, and Arab American communities.
Their political perspectives and experiences differed, but they shared a pressing question: Will the concerns weighing on their communities bring people to the polls or leave them too afraid or discouraged to participate?
The Cost of Living Is Personal
In Los Angeles, Nestor Fantini, co-editor of the Spanish-language publication HispanicLA.com, said Latino families are struggling with rising prices while also worrying about immigration enforcement.
Citing a recent UCLA study, Fantini said 76% of registered Latino voters in California were concerned about keeping up with living expenses.
Some families are cutting back on groceries. Others are struggling with housing, utilities, and healthcare costs.
“Anxiety on two fronts. The wallet and La Migra,” Fantini said, using a familiar term for immigration authorities.
The economic pressure is not limited to California.
In Mississippi, Dr. Delia Carthan, a contributor to The Mississippi Link, described families struggling with food and gasoline prices in communities where poverty and limited healthcare access are already serious concerns.
Siblani shared his own frustration with healthcare costs. At 72, he said navigating Medicare remains confusing, and he pays approximately $1,000 monthly for coverage for himself and his wife.
Different communities are confronting the same difficult question: Can they afford the basics, care for their families, and build a secure future?
Immigration Enforcement: Fear and Determination at the Polls
For many Latino families in Southern California, immigration enforcement has changed how they move through their communities.
Fantini described the fear of detention and deportation, particularly among mixed-status families.
He cited a Latino Community Foundation finding that more than 65% of California Latino voters were worried immigration authorities might appear at polling locations.
Yet that fear has not erased the desire to participate.
According to figures Fantini shared from UnidosUS, 76% of Latino voters said they were certain or almost certain to vote.
Organizations such as the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) have been helping address those concerns, including plans to send legal observers to polling locations.
“There’s no doubt that there is fear,” Fantini said. “But there’s also determination.”
In New York, journalist Rong Xiaoqing described another consequence of immigration enforcement: its effect on Chinese American businesses.
In neighborhoods such as Flushing and Sunset Park, she said restaurants are seeing fewer customers, while long-distance buses have fewer passengers because some immigrants are avoiding travel.
Despite these concerns, Rong reported strong early voting enthusiasm.
She also emphasized that Chinese American voters do not all share the same political positions. Some support stricter immigration policies and are motivated to vote for candidates who reflect those views.
Her reporting challenges the assumption that immigrant communities think or vote alike.
Silicon Valley: When a Job Loss Threatens a Family’s Future
For Indian Americans in Silicon Valley, uncertainty in the technology industry carries consequences beyond a paycheck.
Vandana Kumar, publisher of India Currents, described concerns about layoffs, artificial intelligence, immigration policy, and the region’s high cost of living.
For workers on H-1B visas, losing a job can also threaten their ability to remain in the United States.
Behind Silicon Valley’s success stories are families raising children, paying mortgages, caring for aging parents, and wondering how secure their futures really are.
Kumar also raised an important distinction.
“There’s a difference between political engagement and electoral engagement,” she said.
People may follow the news closely, discuss policies in WhatsApp groups, and care deeply about the country’s direction without necessarily voting.
Some are not eligible. Others may question whether their participation matters.
And for immigrants on temporary visas or awaiting green cards, speaking publicly about politics can feel risky.
Kumar said concerns about belonging can push some people toward greater civic involvement while making others hesitant to speak.
The impact of an election reaches far beyond those who can cast a ballot.
Native American Voters: Protecting Land, Water, and Treaty Rights
For Lori Edmo, editor of the Sho-Ban News serving the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in Idaho, the midterms are about protecting rights that generations have fought to preserve.
Edmo described concerns about federal funding cuts affecting tribal programs, proposed census changes, public lands, and protections for sacred sites.
She explained that tribal nations have treaty rights and a unique relationship with the federal government, including responsibilities that affect essential services and access to resources.
For tribal communities, decisions about public land are closely tied to sovereignty, cultural preservation, and their way of life.
“Water is life,” Edmo said.
She recalled how tribal members have organized to influence elections in the past and described similar efforts encouraging participation today.
The issues may receive limited national attention, but for the communities affected, the consequences are lasting.
Mississippi: A Fight for Representation Rooted in History
For Dr. Delia Carthan, the struggle for civil rights and political representation is deeply personal.
She introduced herself as the daughter of Dr. Eddie James Carthan, a pioneering Black mayor in Mississippi, and a relative of Emmett Till, whose murder helped galvanize the civil rights movement.
“I wasn’t thrown into this conversation. I was born into it,” she said.
Carthan discussed Mississippi’s history of voter suppression, including the Mississippi Plan of 1875 and efforts that used intimidation and discriminatory laws to restrict Black political participation.
Today, she sees renewed concern about voting rights, healthcare, wages, and representation.
She also described growing interest in the Senate campaign of Democrat Scott Colom, who is challenging Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith.
For Carthan, the possibility of electing a Black U.S. senator from Mississippi for the first time since Reconstruction carries enormous historical significance.
But she also wants voters to pay attention to problems affecting them now, including hospital closures, healthcare access, and economic hardship.
Her concern is whether the enthusiasm surrounding the election will lead to meaningful participation.
Arab Americans: Confronting Hate Through Civic Participation
Beyond his concerns about America’s changing political climate, Siblani described threats, misinformation, and personal attacks against Arab and Muslim Americans.
He spoke about accusations directed at him personally and political hostility surrounding Michigan’s U.S. Senate campaign, including candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
Siblani said these attacks are creating fear, but he believes withdrawing from public life would only make matters worse.
He also stressed that Arab American voters care about the same economic pressures affecting families elsewhere: food prices, gasoline, and healthcare.
For him, protecting democracy means confronting both discrimination and the policies affecting people’s everyday lives.
“Go out and vote, because we need to protect our democracy,” he said.
His message was clear: participation remains essential, especially when communities feel their rights or their future are at stake.
Are Candidates Listening to Their Communities?
During the roundtable, audience member Henrietta Burroughs asked whether candidates genuinely understand the concerns being raised.
The journalists offered examples from their communities.
Edmo spoke about candidates addressing tribal rights and natural resources.
Rong described Chinese American candidates responding to neighborhood concerns, including sanitation, homelessness, and local services.
Carthan pointed to candidates discussing healthcare, wages, and political representation.
Siblani described enthusiasm among Arab American voters engaging with political candidates in Michigan.
In California, Fantini emphasized housing affordability as a major concern in the governor’s race and the Los Angeles mayoral election.
For families struggling with rent, utility bills, and homeownership costs, these local decisions can matter as much as national politics.
Voters want leaders who understand their concerns and can deliver meaningful change.
Why Ethnic Media Matters Beyond Election Day
As the discussion came to a close, Marrero asked the journalists why ethnic and community media play such an important role during elections.
Their responses spoke to the value of trusted reporting rooted in lived experience.
Kumar described the cultural understanding journalists bring when they belong to the communities they cover.
Rong emphasized the importance of helping readers understand voter registration, early voting, polling locations, and ballot questions.
Edmo spoke about explaining how government decisions affect tribal rights and resources.
For Carthan, journalism must also connect current issues to history so people understand how decisions made decades ago continue to affect their lives.
Siblani stressed the importance of ethnic media outlets sharing information and supporting one another.
Fantini offered a description that captured their work.
“Ethnic media, for me, is kind of like a poem,” he said.
“It captures the soul of a community.”
That is the value of journalism rooted in community.
It goes beyond campaign speeches and polling numbers to explain what public decisions mean for the people living with their consequences.
It also helps readers find the information they need to participate.
November 3 Is Almost Here. What Happens Next?
The six journalists did not speak for one political party, nor did they suggest their communities shared identical beliefs.
But their reporting showed what is weighing on people as Election Day approaches.
Families want affordable homes, secure jobs, healthcare, safety, and opportunities for their children. They want their rights respected and their concerns taken seriously.
For eligible voters, November 3 offers an opportunity to make informed choices about their communities’ future.
For immigrants who cannot vote, civic participation still matters. They can stay informed, support community organizations, attend public meetings, and help eligible family members access reliable election information.
And when the votes are counted, the work continues.
The families struggling today will still need solutions tomorrow. The journalists covering their communities will continue asking questions and holding elected leaders accountable.
Because the real test of this election is not only who shows up to vote. It is whether those elected show up for the people counting on them.
