Michigan SOS Admits Old Kiosks Were Bad. New Ones Will Be Better?

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson says, yes, the old Secretary of State's kiosks were bad and hard to use and understand, but trust her, this time, they will be better.

Which is good. I guess. But a thought came up that begs a question: If an average person can't navigate and deal with a Secretary of State's kiosk, given how bad Michigan drivers are, should they even be given a license?

While the old, bad, kiosks are being replaced with the bright shiny new ones, the number of them will also increase by 60% and will be installed in stores such as Meijer, according to Benson. And using one will cost you almost $4.00 per transaction.

Following a successful one-month pilot phase completed this month involving a dozen new self-service stations and thousands of customer transactions, the project will expand to replace all 93 existing kiosks by the end of January and add 57 more, for a total of 150, by the end of April. Additional stations already are being discussed. In addition to Secretary of State branch offices, many of the new stations will be in grocery stores such as Kroger and Meijer, meeting customers where they already are doing business. Most of the stations are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For an up-to-date listing of locations with the new self-service stations, visit Michigan.gov/SOSSelfService. - Michigan Secretary of State release

Other work includes expanding online appointments, redesigning renewal mailings to better support and prepare customers, and improving self-service options such as the Secretary of State website.