5.4.26 – LEAD Filipino Announces National Multi-City Get-out-the-Filipino-Vote Initiative for the 2026 Primary Elections

May 4, 2026

San José, CA — LEAD Filipino will launch a national multi-city Get Out the Filipino Vote (GOTFV) initiative for the 2026 Primary Elections. 

As early voting begins and elections take place across the country in May and June, Filipino American civic participation remains critical to shaping the 2026 Midterm Elections. 

In response, LEAD Filipino will organize GOTFV events across its chapters, including phone banking events and field activations, with a goal of contacting at least 15,000 Filipino voters ahead of Election Day to ensure they are aware of the election, know their polling location, and have the necessary information to cast their ballots. 

Operating in California, Nevada and Texas—key Filipino population centers, LEAD Filipino navigates various state voter laws ranging from the most accessible in California to among the most suppressive in Texas. As one of the largest Asian American Pacific Islander groups in these states, Filipino voters remain under-engaged despite their growing electoral influence. 

“We work daily to integrate voter engagement into our leadership programs and health services to prepare for these exact moments,” states Marnelli Canosa, LEAD Filipino’s Senior Field Organizer, who oversees the group’s national organizer development. 

While California offers same-day voter registration, Texas cuts off registration 30-days before the election; for many Filipinos working non-traditional hours in service industries, these barriers only deepen disengagement within one of the largest AAPI groups in the state. 

Faye Suficiencia, who leads Texas Programs and sees the structural barriers firsthand shares, “The civic gaps we see in Texas make organizing and voter education critical to building power for our community.”

Filipino Americans are among one of the largest AAPI groups in California, Texas and Nevada. In Nevada, Filipino voters represent a decisive and growing electorate, capable of influencing statewide outcomes. Despite these truths, LEAD Filipino cautions that population numbers alone are meaningless without consistent voting, engaging and organizing. 

Recent legal challenges to the Voting Rights Act, including the Supreme Court’s ruling in Callais vs. Louisiana, underscore growing threats to fair representation and voter protections before significant election cycles. 

“The weakening of key protections under the Voting Rights Act should be a blaring alarm for all Filipino Americans,” said Dr. Angelica Cortez, Founder & CEO of LEAD Filipino. She continued, “As Filipino Americans, we can’t forget our history in fighting for inclusion and voting rights—and our connection to African American communities in the broader movement for equity and justice.” 

Phone banking and canvassing events will take place during May and June in the following cities:

• Daly City
• San Antonio 
• San Diego
• San Jose
• Las Vegas

LEAD Filipino is a national nonprofit organization focused on increasing Filipino American civic and cultural power through voter engagement, health advocacy and grassroots leadership development. Founded in 2015, in San José, the group also operates in San Antonio and Las Vegas.

The group is currently calling for volunteers to help Get out the Filipino Vote.