Stop AAPI Hate has launched Stop AAPI Hate Action, a social welfare nonprofit to register and mobilize Asian American and Pacific Islander voters ahead of the November midterms. The initiative responds to recent moves on redistricting, voting rules and immigration policy, including measures affecting H-1B workers. Outreach begins in July with multilingual phone banks and targeted efforts to flip competitive red and purple districts, while building long-term civic infrastructure for AAPI communities.
Stop AAPI Hate Launches Political Arm to Mobilize AAPI Voters Ahead of Midterms
FILE - A person holds a sign and attends a rally to support Stop AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) Hate at the Logan Square Monument in Chicago, March 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Stop AAPI Hate, the group known for documenting anti-Asian incidents during the pandemic, has launched a new political and advocacy arm — Stop AAPI Hate Action — to register and mobilize Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters ahead of the November midterms.
What the New Group Will Do
Stop AAPI Hate Action is organized as a social welfare nonprofit, a structure that allows the group to engage in lobbying and certain political activities within legal limits. The effort aims to turn community concerns about immigration, voting-rights changes and targeted state policies into organized civic participation.
Targeted Voter Outreach
Beginning in July, the organization will deploy multilingual phone banks (Korean, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Mandarin) and other outreach strategies to reach AAPI voters — with an emphasis on people who typically vote only in high-profile general elections. The group plans to prioritize competitive red and purple districts with significant Asian American populations, including parts of states like Iowa, Nebraska and Alaska, and will match volunteers and voters by ethnicity where possible to build trust and improve turnout.
Why Now
Leaders say recent political developments — including actions by the White House and Republican lawmakers on redistricting and voting laws, plus federal moves affecting immigration (such as restrictions on H-1B visas and a newly announced $100,000 annual fee for certain skilled-worker visa holders) — motivated the new initiative. An AAPI Data/AP-NORC poll cited by the organization found a majority of AAPI respondents believe President Donald Trump’s policies have done more harm than good on immigration and border security in his second term.
“Those pieces — alongside what we're seeing from our community in terms of data — really motivated and inspired us to make this move,” said Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate. “It is about harnessing the pain felt at an individual level and turning it into a collective power.”
Grounded In Data And Personal Experience
The group’s annual report, released during AAPI Heritage Month, found that roughly half of AAPI adults said they or someone they know were negatively affected by immigration policies or anti-immigrant attitudes in 2025. The campaign will also draw on personal stories — for example, a reported harassment incident in Atlanta that prompted a volunteer to get involved — as catalysts for local organizing and civic education.
Long-Term Goals
Stop AAPI Hate Action emphasizes that this is intended to be a sustained effort, not a one-off election push. The organization aims to build long-term civic and political infrastructure for the AAPI community by empowering local leaders, supporting civic engagement year-round, and helping the AAPI electorate grow as a cohesive, influential voting bloc.
Note: The group says it will not automatically endorse candidates by party; instead, it will support candidates who align with its core values on immigration, civil rights and community equity.
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