Nearly half of registered South Asian respondents in Texas said the climate toward South Asians, immigrants or religious communities increased their motivation to vote ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
The South Asian American Voter Empowerment of Texas Education Fund (SAAVETX EF) and the University of California San Diego released the findings Oct. 28. The October survey included 1,000 Texas residents of South Asian background age 18 or older, reached through online panels, text surveys and phone interviews. The sponsors cautioned that the results should not be treated as representative of all South Asian Texans.
Among registered respondents, 49.8% said the political climate made them more motivated to vote, while 8.2% said it made them less motivated and 37.1% said it made no difference. A total of 78.5% said they were certain or probably would vote. The survey also found 77.6% would be somewhat or much more likely to vote for a candidate who speaks out against discrimination toward South Asians.
Overall, 57.5% of adult respondents said they had experienced at least one form of hate in Texas during the previous 12 months, tied to race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, accent or immigration background. Insulting remarks or slurs were reported by 30.6%, online harassment by 27% and physical violence by 3.6%. Separately, 57.3% said concern about how they would be treated led them to avoid at least one activity listed in the survey. Another 63.7% said elected officials understood South Asian concerns not too well or not at all, while 53.6% said the community had little or no political power in Texas.
The Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) counted about 542,360 anti-South Asian posts on X from Jan. 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. Its tracked monthly count rose from 12,904 in January 2024 to 43,843 in June 2026, a 240% increase. CSOH connected the online rhetoric to debates over H-1B visas, immigration and economic competition, along with South Asians’ political visibility and online amplification. Its analysis tracks posts and does not establish what motivates individual voters.
The Guardian and Houston Chronicle reported that Turning Point USA personality Savanah Hernandez posted a photo of Democratic candidate Pooja Sethi’s campaign sign on X in February, drawing hateful or bigoted replies. The Texas Tribune cited Collin County Democratic Party Chair Jeremy Sutka, who said early voting was stronger in areas with sizable Indian communities. The Tribune also reported that Republicans have traditionally overperformed with South Asian voters and made gains among Indian American voters over several years. VoteHub data cited by the Tribune showed President Donald Trump narrowly won several Frisco precincts with large Asian populations in 2024.
The Nov. 3 election will provide an aggregate turnout indicator, but it cannot show how the survey respondents themselves voted.
