In Michigan, APIAVote partnered with the Asian American Caucus of One United Michigan, an informal coalition of groups and community leaders and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) chapter of Michigan.  The primary objective of this partnership was to defeat Proposal 2, which would eliminate affirmative action and opportunity programs for women and people of color.

The Michigan AAPI voter engagement program sent out a targeted mailing, paid for by APALA, to 11,000, Asian American women voters with a Get-Out-The-Vote message, information about voting “no” on Proposal 2, and voter protection efforts. In addition, educational material about Proposal 2 were distributed at Asian Pacific American houses of worship – Korean American churches, major Chinese Alliance churches, a Sikh temple, and Vietnamese churches.  They then followed up by coordinating phone bank operations to an additional 1,000 Asian Pacific American women voters in two major counties in Michigan.  APIAVote assisted the Michigan efforts through attaining and preparing the voter files for the phone bank operation and securing the vendor for the mail house and providing feedback on the phone bank materials for the organizers.   APALA paid for the production of the mailer and the mailing costs.

October 4, 2006 marked a successful “Asian American Vote = Your Voice” party, attended by over 60 community members, State Senator Hanson Clarke, State Assemblyman Hoon-Yung Hopgood, Julia Darlow, a candidate for the University of Michigan Board of Regent and Carmella Sabaugh, a candidate for the Michigan Secretary of State.  A register to vote flyer and election protection press release provided by APIAVote was translated into several Asian languages and circulated in the community via email and local ethnic newspapers.

Informational sessions about Asian Pacific Americans and affirmative action were held in February, July and September in three different regions of the state, and an educational brochure regarding the impact of Proposal 2 for the Asian Pacific American community was distributed at community events throughout the year. 

Unfortunately, Proposal 2 passed with 58% of voters supporting the measure, effectively ending affirmative action in the state of Michigan.  However, according to an exit poll conducted by the AALDEF in Michigan, three out of four Asian American voters rejected the proposal.