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South Asians for America (SAFA) and Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia (DAAV), in collaboration with the DNC AAPI Caucus, hosted a hands-on Action Lab at the 2026 Impact Summit in Washington, DC, on April 20. The session focused on mobilizing Virginia voters ahead of the special election on redistricting.
The program opened with brief remarks from Virginia Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi and was led by SAFA National Co-Director Harini Krishnan and DAAV Chair Emeritus and SAFA Virginia Director Shyamali Hauth. The training provided practical guidance and best practices for voter outreach, particularly through phone banking. Organizers said the canvassing, phone banking, and Action Lab reflected a sustained push by the South Asian community in the final hours before polls opened.
Virginia voters are set to decide on a constitutional amendment that could enable a new congressional map, which Democrats say may help them gain up to four seats in this year’s midterm elections.
“It’s such a critical day. It’s a critical election tomorrow [April 21] that Virginia is holding. It’s critical not just for Virginia, in fact, it’s critical for the entire country,” said LG Hashmi, noting that President Donald Trump had urged several states “to Texas to Missouri to Alabama and Georgia and Florida and other states and said, ‘Give me more seats in Congress.’”
“Well, not only is that unconstitutional, not only is that illegal, but that is a clear sign that Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans know that they are about to lose because of their deep unpopularity with Americans,” she added.
Hashmi also criticized Republican policies, stating they have cut federal jobs and agencies and contributed to inflation. “They have made sure that everything they can do possibly to hurt Americans is hurting Americans big, and that is what we are facing,” she said.
Highlighting Virginia’s role, she said the state faced a responsibility to act. “We didn’t want to go down this road. This is not how we wanted to do business, to do mid-decade redistricting. But, we knew that Virginia, like California, had a responsibility to stand up, because if we don’t stand up, we are relinquishing.”
“We’re absolutely relinquishing, not just Congress, but we’re relinquishing our country and the future of our children,” she added, noting that this broader context extends beyond redistricting to issues such as health care, education, immigration, and the country’s future.
Ahead of the summit, South Asian organizers mobilized voters in Loudoun County, Virginia, on April 19, conducting door-to-door outreach in Ashburn. Many of those contacted were fellow South Asians, and organizers encouraged them to support the redistricting amendment in the special election.
Organizers described the vote as a “critical opportunity” for Virginia to expand congressional districts and respond to what they characterized as partisan redistricting efforts initiated in Texas in 2025.
Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, State Senator Kannan Srinivasan, and Delegate JJ Singh joined as special guests to launch the canvass. Organizers described the moment as notable, highlighting that all three South Asian elected officials represent overlapping constituencies in Loudoun County. “It is testament to the growing political power and representation of the South Asian community in Virginia,” according to SAFA.
The canvassing effort was organized by SAFA, DAAV, the DNC, the DNC AAPI Caucus, High School Dems AANHPI Caucus, Young Dems API Caucus, AANHPI Staffers for Dems, Maryland High School Dems, and other partner organizations. The event was hosted at the home of DNC Coalitions Associate Aryan Deorah.
Later in the evening, organizers held a phone banking session targeting AAPI voters across Virginia. Texas House Minority Leader Gene Wu and DNC Vice Chair Shasti Conrad joined as special guests to help launch the outreach.
“The special election on April 21st is a chance to push back against MAGA’s redistricting frenzy across the nation. As I have been explaining to voters, this is a critical opportunity to level the playing field ahead of the midterm elections. After the Census in 2030, decisions on districting will return to the commission,” said Hauth.
“I am so proud of the work that we have done for this redistricting effort, including all of our partner organizations. It truly has been a team effort,” said Krishnan, who also serves as Vice Chair of the DNC AAPI Caucus. “In California, we successfully passed Proposition 50 with more than 80 percent AAPI voter turnout, so I know it can be done.”
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