Secretary of State mobile office makes maiden voyage to Mackinac Island
Three days of mobile office service save Island residents and visiting workers a trip to the mainland ahead of busy 2024 tourist season
MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. – This week, the Michigan Department of State brought the new Upper Peninsula Secretary of State mobile office to Mackinac Island to serve permanent residents and seasonal workers. The three-day mobile office visit April 29 through May 1 was sponsored by a grant from the Mackinac Island Community Foundation, which covered the cost of shipping the mobile office van via ferry from St. Ignace as well as the facility fee for use of the Mackinac Island Community Hall.
“Mackinac Island is one of Michigan’s greatest treasures and I’m proud we could bring our mobile office services to the Island for the first time,” Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said. “Mobile offices are a critical part of our mission to meet people where they are and bring state government right to them in a way that’s convenient, accessible, and equitable. We’re grateful to the Mackinac Island Community Foundation for their generous grant that brought us to the Island to support the residents, businesses, and employees as they gear up for another busy tourist season.”
A total of 120 residents and workers came to the mobile office for Secretary of State transactions including applying for or renewing a driver’s license or state ID, renewing vehicle plates, and updating their address. The Island’s nearest Secretary of State offices are in St. Ignace and Cheboygan, both requiring a trip by ferry.
Lifetime resident and Mackinac Island Mayor Margaret Doud was one of the mobile office’s first customers on Monday.
“I think it’s a major convenience for us,” Mayor Doud said. “And we really appreciate that because we’re an island – for everybody to get off and get over it takes almost takes a day’s time. This is wonderful and we’re very thankful.”
“To have the mobile office come to Mackinac Island is wonderful,” said Stephanie McGreevy, CEO and executive director of the Mackinac Island Community Foundation. “We’re super excited and we hope this will become a bi-annual event for both our year-round residents and our workforce so they can do the transactions they need to do right here – just steps away from their home or work.”
“We estimate that we need about 5,000 seasonal workers on a yearly basis,” said Tim Hygh, CEO of Mackinac Island Tourism. “About 1,200 or 1,300 are international workers and the rest are U.S. workers, all types of workers – mostly from Michigan – and they need Secretary of State services. Once we start work here it’s kind of like Groundhog Day – one day leads to the next and to the next. You don’t get many days off, so not having to leave the Island and go to either Cheboygan or St. Ignace and being able to get it done here, conveniently, means the world to us.”
Secretary Benson launched the mobile office program in the fall of 2021 with a single van serving Southeast Michigan. Since then, the fleet has grown to seven vehicles serving the entire state. Mobile offices have participated in more than 500 events in communities throughout Michigan and conducted nearly 14,000 transactions for residents.
Mobile offices also visit senior centers, veterans’ organizations, addiction recovery centers, and communities where residents have limited mobility or unreliable internet access.
Community organizations interested in hosting a mobile office can fill out a request form at Michigan.gov/SOSMobile.
WATCH: Secretary of State mobile office visits Mackinac Island
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The Upper Peninsula Secretary of State mobile office van waits on the freight ferry docks at St. Ignace for its trip to Mackinac Island. While motor vehicles are not allowed on the Island, the Department of State got special permission to bring the van over on the ferry and park it at the docks on the Island. The Mackinac Island Community Foundation provided grant funding to cover the fee to send the mobile office on the ferry as well as the rental of the Mackinac Island Community Hall.
Michigan Department of State staff haul mobile office equipment from the ferry docks to the Mackinac Island Community Hall.
Secretary of State mobile office staff assist Mackinac Island Mayor Margaret Doud (L) with her license plate and driver's license renewals. Mobile office transactions took about 10 minutes for residents and seasonal workers.
Secretary of State mobile office staff assist customers with transactions at the Mackinac Island Community Hall. The mobile office served 120 residents and seasonal workers as the Island prepared for the 2024 summer tourist season.
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