For many immigrant communities in North Carolina, casting a ballot in the 2026 midterms carries a weight that goes beyond politics — it carries fear. Advocacy organizations across the state are stepping up with concrete resources to make sure that fear doesn’t keep eligible voters from the polls.
Groups like El Pueblo and N.C. Asian Americans Together (NCAAT) have been hearing directly from community members worried about immigration enforcement showing up at polling sites. While President Donald Trump stated as recently as last Friday that he would not deploy immigration officers to polling locations — an action that is prohibited under federal law — advocates say the anxiety is real and understandable. Immigration arrests have climbed steadily over the past two years, and that climate has made some voters reluctant to show up.
Alissa Lopez, a board volunteer at El Pueblo, put it plainly:
“I think right now this political climate is making folks feel very disempowered in North Carolina and across the country, and (voting) is one of the key ways that people can exercise their power. (The current administration) is trying so hard to take away this power through intimidation and fearmongering tactics because we have a powerful voice.”
The stakes are especially high in North Carolina, where statewide races are frequently decided by narrow margins. Chavi Khanna Koneru, executive director of NC Asian Americans Together, stressed what’s at risk when fear keeps people home:
“What we don’t want is for voters to not turn out to vote. We know, especially in North Carolina, the margins are so slim in some of these races. So every vote counts, and we need to make sure that everyone’s able to safely cast those votes.”
Adding to the concern, advocates have noted that some North Carolina counties and municipalities have signed 287(g) agreements with ICE, which authorize local police to carry out federal immigration enforcement. The American Civil Liberties Union has mapped which local governments have these agreements — currently, none are active in the Triangle area, with most concentrated in rural parts of the state.
What Resources Are Available to Voters
Both El Pueblo and NCAAT are offering a range of practical tools to help immigrant voters navigate the election safely and confidently. Here is what’s available:
Multilingual voter hotlines are a centerpiece of the effort. El Pueblo will launch its Spanish-language hotline on the first day of in-person early voting, Thursday, Oct. 15. Voters can call 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (1-888-687-8683) to reach volunteers trained in North Carolina election law. The hotline runs in partnership with NALEO Education Fund, a national Latino civic engagement nonprofit. NCAAT operates its own voter hotline at 1-833-VOTE-NCAAT, available in nine languages including Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Hindi, and Urdu.
Nonpartisan poll monitors will be stationed at multiple locations during every day of early voting and on Election Day itself. NCAAT plans to deploy observers to three Wake County sites and one each in Mecklenburg, Cumberland, Orange, and Cabarrus counties. The organization is also working alongside Underwire, a local group of mothers focused on voter engagement. For those who want to volunteer as poll watchers themselves, Democracy NC is offering vote protection training. Both NCAAT and El Pueblo are also connected with groups that track immigration enforcement activity — including Carolina Migrant Network and Siembra NC — and will alert their networks if enforcement presence is suspected near any polling location.
Vote-by-mail assistance is another priority, particularly for Asian American voters. According to Koneru, Asian voters in North Carolina choose mail-in ballots at higher rates than other groups, making mail ballot rules especially consequential for this community. NCAAT is hosting webinars and in-person clinics to walk voters through the process, including newer requirements like making sure the inner envelope is completely sealed before mailing it to the N.C. Board of Elections. NCAAT is also among the organizations that have filed suit to block newly approved absentee ballot guidelines, arguing those rules could disenfranchise people who choose to vote by mail. Spanish-language assistance for absentee and mail-in voting is available through El Pueblo at votemosnc.com.
The organizations’ efforts reflect a broader reality: access to reliable information — in the right language, at the right moment — can be the difference between a citizen casting their ballot and staying home. With early voting beginning October 15 and Election Day approaching, these groups are working to ensure that fear does not determine who gets heard in November. The original reporting on this story was produced by Eli Chen at WUNC News. Share this story on Bluesky or LinkedIn.
