Secretary of State to lay off more than 900 staff members for two weeks

News release from the Michigan Department of State 4-22-2020

LANSING — The Michigan Department of State (MDOS) will temporarily lay off more than 900 members of its staff starting Sunday, April 26. The layoffs will last two weeks, and could be extended.

“This is an extremely challenging time for our state, our state government, and our department,” said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. “This decision was not easy, but is necessary to responsibly steward taxpayer funds at this time.”

The Department is laying off all staff who are not able work full-time under the Stay Home, Stay Safe order. The majority of them are staff who typically work in Secretary of State branch offices, which are currently closed, the release said, and all laid off MDOS employees, like all state employees who will be laid off at this time, will be automatically enrolled in the state’s unemployment system.

The layoffs will not impact MDOS services available to the public, the release stated. Many driver and vehicle transactions can be carried out online and at self-service stations located in grocery stores across the state. A list of online services and stations is at Michigan.gov/SOS. Additionally, the Bureau of Elections remains open, as elections are considered a critical infrastructure sector in the Stay Home, Stay Safe order per the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.