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Wave Michigan

Website:

wave-michigan.com/
Location:

Ann Arbor, MI
Type:

Democratic get-out-the-vote tool
Treasurers:

Charles Newman, Robert Chunn

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

Wave Michigan is a Democratic get-out-the-vote tool that helps organizations identify targeted voters and track contacts and voter activity. 1 It has been used by the Michigan Democratic Party, the Washtenaw County Democratic Party, the Michigan Education Association teachers’ union, and the left-of-center Fems for Dems. 2

Wave Michigan was started by two men from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Robert Chunn and Charles Newman. 3

Wave Michigan has been identified as a partner to Field Team 6, a Democratic get-out-the-vote organizer. 4 Wave Michigan has also been linked with Demcast USA, a left-of-center nonprofit that promotes Democratic views. 5

Leadership

Robert Chunn was listed as the treasurer of Wave Michigan in a July 2020 filing. 6 Chunn was a senior vice president of digital at the bookseller Borders for 11 years. In 2020, Chunn co-founded the non-profit Ballot Power Inc., 7 which offers ballot tracking or all Michigan voters and elections and was used by ACLU Michigan for its voter information centers. 8

Chunn co-founded RelA2ve Inc. and serves as the president. RelA2ve serves nonprofits and political organizations with technology designed to help them engage people on voting issues. 9 According to the non-profit TransparencyUSA.org, Wave Michigan had one expenditure of $25,000 to Rela2ve Inc. The National Education Association also paid Rela2ve $22,000 in June 2020. 10

Charles Newman was listed as treasurer of Wave Michigan in an August 2020 filing. 11 Newman founded Protectors of Equality in Government, 12 which publishes a weekly email newsletter on political topics. 13 Three days after the presidential election on Nov. 6, 2020, Protectors of Equality in Government posted vote totals in Washtenaw County comparing 2016 candidate Hillary Clinton with 2020 candidate Joe Biden and showing Biden received 28,647 more votes than Clinton. 14

Newman founded ReCellular, Inc., in 1978 and left the company in October 2012. 15 ReCellular sold used cell phones. 16

Demcast USA

Chunn and Newman have ties to Demcast, a lobbying group that runs a website that promotes Democratic viewpoints posted by activists, candidates and elected officials to promote “blue electoral gains and policy victories at all levels of government.” 17 DemCast hosts content such as newsletters, videos, podcasts, Zoom meetings, and other media.

Chunn hosted a Zoom meeting on November 13, 2021 on redistricting voting maps in Michigan 18 that included Loida Tapia, a former Obama for America operative. 19

Newman is listed as an author and does interviews for the Michigan chapter of Demcast. 20 Newman interviewed Chunn in 2021 on Demcast about redistricting maps in Michigan. 21

Demcast lists as its partners Flip The West (now known as Activate America), Blue Future, Swing Left, Vote Pro-Choice, Florida Democratic Party, Maine Democratic Party, and numerous other organizations affiliated with the Democratic Party. 22

Field Team 6

Wave Michigan was listed as a partner of Field Team 6, a volunteer organization that lists is mission as “Register Democrats. Save the world.” 23 Field Team 6 registers Democrats to vote in targeted states. Field Team 6 partners with numerous state and county level Democratic parties. 24

References

  1. “Robert Chunn.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 3, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-chunn-338b9a5/
  2. Protectors Of Equality In Government. Wave Michigan. Accessed June 4, 2022. https://equalityingov.org/highlights/attention-all-registered-michigan-voters/
  3. Wave Michigan. Michigan Secretary of State. Michigan Campaign Statement Cover Page. July 2020. Accessed June 2, 2022. https://cfrsearch.nictusa.com/documents/507155/details/filing/cover?changes=0
  4. Field Team 6. Mission. Accessed June 5, 2022. https://www.fieldteam6.org/mission
  5. Demcast. Our Partners. Accessed June 4, 2022. https://demcastusa.com/our-partners/
  6. Wave Michigan. Michigan Secretary of State. Michigan Campaign Statement Cover Page. July 2020. Accessed June 2, 2022. https://cfrsearch.nictusa.com/documents/507155/details/filing/cover?changes=0
  7. “Robert Chunn.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 3, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-chunn-338b9a5/
  8. “Robert Chunn.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 3, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-chunn-338b9a5/
  9. “Robert Chunn.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 3, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-chunn-338b9a5/
  10. National Education Association. LM-2. Schedule 16 – Political Activities and Lobbying. Accessed May 29, 2022. https://olmsapps.dol.gov/query/orgReport.do?rptId=737980&rptForm=LM2Form
  11. State of Michigan Bureau of Elections. Aug. 27, 2020 letter. Accessed June 3, 2020. https://cfrsearch.nictusa.com/documents/497539/details?type=scanned&page=1
  12. “Chuck Newman.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 3, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-newman-ab80087/
  13. Protectors Of Equality In Government. About. Accessed June 3, 2022. https://equalityingov.org/about/
  14. Protectors Of Equality In Government. Facebook page. Nov. 6, 2020. Accessed June 3, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/1640793849280104/posts/5159988830693904
  15. “Chuck Newman.” LinkedIn. Accessed June 4, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-newman-ab80087/
  16. Ben Freed. “ReCellular Sells To Texas-Based Company For Nearly $3 Million”; Dec. 13, 2013. Accessed June 4, 2022. https://www.mlive.com/business/ann-arbor/2013/12/recellular_sells_to_texas-base.html
  17. Demcast. About Us. Accessed June 4, 2022. https://demcastusa.com/
  18. Demcast. “Sun At 4 P.M. – Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting”; Nov. 13, 2021. Accessed June 4, 2022. https://demcastusa.com/2021/11/13/sun-at-4-p-m-michigan-independent-citizens-redistricting/
  19. Demcast. “Accountability, And Things To Do”; Nov. 29, 2021. Accessed June 4, 2022. https://demcastusa.com/2021/11/29/accountability-and-things-to-do/
  20. Demcast. Author. Charles Newman. Accessed June 4, 2022. https://demcastusa.com/author/cnmnnewman/
  21. Demcast. “Accountability, And Things To Do”; Nov. 29, 2021. Accessed June 4, 2022. https://demcastusa.com/2021/11/29/accountability-and-things-to-do/
  22. Demcast. Our Partners. Accessed June 4, 2022. https://demcastusa.com/our-partners/
  23. Field Team 6. Mission. Accessed June 5, 2022. https://www.fieldteam6.org/mission
  24. Field Team 6. Mission. Accessed June 5, 2022. https://www.fieldteam6.org/mission
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Wave Michigan


Ann Arbor, MI