Michigan Lawmakers push back on appointment-only, next-day service plan for Secretary of State offices

(The Center Square) – The Michigan House Oversight Committee on Thursday probed a plan from the Secretary of State’s Office that eliminates same-day, walk-in services, while a former secretary of state called the changes “unacceptable.”

Sen. Ruth Johnson, a Holly Republican who served as secretary of state for eight years, attacked the appointment-only and next-day offering.

Johnson said “it’s not fair” for Michiganders to wait months to take a Commercial Driver’s License test, transfer a car title, or risk being ticketed because they can’t get a new license plate.

“The appointment system, by itself, simply is unfair to the people of this state of Michigan,” Johnson said.

A year after the COVID-19 pandemic started, people are waiting months to get an appointment if they can’t sneak in through a next-day appointment, available at 8 a.m. or noon, which fill up quickly. For those who can’t get a next-day appointment in Detroit, the next available scheduled appointment is Nov. 5, Johnson said.

“I don’t care what party you’re from. What’s happening right now is just plain bad customer service,” Johnson said, arguing that Great Clips has a better system than the government.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, will testify in front of the committee next week about the appointment system.

“I can tell you with 100% certainty if you’re having branches booking out until November, you do not have enough of those [next-day] appointments to satisfy the demand you have in Michigan,” Johnson said.

Benson’s office says Michiganders can snag a next-day appointment at 8 a.m. or noon, but Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann, said those go “faster than when I tried to buy Garth Brooks tickets.”

“That’s frustrating as all heck,” O’Malley said. “At least with the old system, you had options.”

The Secretary of State’s Office says anyone without internet access can call 888-SOS-MICH and speak with someone to help them book an appointment.

Rep. Julie Brixie, D-Okemos, said there’s still a massive backup from the COVID-19 pandemic, as offices were shut down or restricted to appointments only, and blamed the COVID-19 pandemic as the reason for long delays.

Johnson backed a “MI Appointment” system in which people can wait in line, online, and can see how many people are in front of you, notified via text message. Next-day and the appointment option should also be options, she said.

Brixie said under Johnson’s administration, the wait increased from 14 minutes to 43 minutes, arguing her idea has its problems as well.

However, Rep. Jack O’Malley, R-Lake Ann, said that delay is better than going from “43 minutes to four months.”

Johnson called it “the worst I’ve ever seen in government, where you demand they do something that you can only get it from government, and government won’t give it to you for a long period of time.”

Rep. Pat Outman, R-Six Lakes, said he’s been driving without a valid license plate since March because he bought a new vehicle but his appointment, scheduled in April, isn’t until mid-July.

“It’s ridiculous,” Outman said. “I’ve tried to do those next-day appointments. … I’m just waiting to get pulled over and issued a ticket for not having a license plate.”

People are already taking advantage of those who don’t want to wait months and get a next-day appointment. Fox 2 Detroit reported people are buying and selling appointments on Facebook Marketplace.

Rep. David LaGrand, D-Grand Rapids, emphasized lawmakers should make the government more efficient via allowing multiyear car registration policies with a rebate option the vehicle is sold.

Some bills pending in the House and Senate could ease up demand. House Bill 4117 aims to allow vehicle registration for up to two years. The bill, voted out of the House, is in a Senate committee.

Rep. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton, said the appointment system is inadequate for rural Michigan, some of which lacks reliable internet.

“Walk-in service is a widely used and preferred system for people I represent,” Hoitenga said in a statement. “Out of nearly 150 self-service stations the Secretary of State has at branches and businesses throughout the state, only five are located in northern Michigan. It is not a level playing field.”

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