Live stream: Michigan SOS Benson announces updates to branch operations

FILE - In this March 5, 2020, file photo, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson speaks at a news conference in Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/David Eggert, File) (David Eggert, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson held a news briefing Tuesday morning to announce updates to branch operations.

This live stream has ended.

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The news conference comes just over a month after Benson announced that the state’s secretary of state offices will permanently operate by appointment only -- a change originally instituted at the beginning of the pandemic.

More: Appointment-only visits to Michigan secretary of state here to stay

Benson said in April that the process of walking into an office branch and waiting in line was an “antiquated, inefficient, take-a-number system that nobody liked.” Now, more than 60% of transactions carried out with the secretary of state are done online, by mail or at self-service stations.

“We’re going to listen to the people on this. It’s clear that do not want us to go backwards to the old ways of doing things, where on any given day you could spend hours waiting for a basic transaction in any given branch office,” said Benson, a Democrat.


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About the Author:

Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.