The AAPI Vote in 2026: What Has Shifted Within This Diverse Electorate?

Friday, October 16, 2026

Overview

Asian American and Pacific Islander voters are among the most diverse segments of the American electorate — spanning different sub-ethnicities,  immigration histories, languages, socioeconomic backgrounds and political affiliations. And they are the fastest-growing electorate. There are almost 17 million AAPI eligible voters: 56% cast a ballot in 2024.

But AAPIs are often treated as a single voting bloc — a monolith — though their voting patterns and issues of concern vary broadly. As we round the corner on the critical 2026 midterm election, speakers this week will discuss the findings of a new report by AAPI Data; the challenges of engaging Gen Z and low propensity voters; barriers to voting and misconceptions about the process; and frontline stories from battleground states, among other issues.

• Karthick Ramakrishnan, Founder and Director, AAPI Data

• Christine Chen, Executive Director, APIA Vote

• Mary Lou Akai Ferguson, Executive Director, Asian American Power Network

• Shekar Narasimhan, Chairman, AAPI Victory Fund