SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson today announced that the Mobile Office will be at Wayne State University's Drive Safely to Wayne State outdoor safety fair to serve customers Sept. 19 and 20. Johnson encourages students, especially, to take advantage of the visit and register to vote.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 19, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 20. The office will be near the College of Engineering building.

During the two-day Drive Safely event, university officials have planned activities such as child safety seat demonstrations and checks, interactive driving demonstrations, educational outreach activities and daily drawings for prizes. The events are aimed at making WSU students, staff and faculty safer drivers.

"I encourage everyone to remember that your vote is your voice," Johnson said. "Students should make sure their voices are heard on Election Day and take advantage of this convenient opportunity to register to vote. We're also making it easy to take care of any other business with the department. It's all just steps from the college's classrooms."

The office is made up of four, easy-to-use carts that are rolled out of a 14-foot-by-7-foot trailer and then assembled as a customer service counter with all the necessary equipment and data connections. It replaces the old office, which was a 24-foot-long modified recreational camper trailer that customers would enter to do business.

Customers of the mobile office have the ability to pay with a MasterCard or Discover card as well as buy instant titles or a copy of their driving record. The Mobile Office offers all the services available at a traditional branch office.

The original Secretary of State mobile office was commissioned in July 1997 and logged more than 130,000 miles. When it required significant repairs in order to continue operation, Johnson decided to use a more nimble, less expensive alternative.

For more information about office locations and services, visit the Secretary of State website, www.Michigan.gov/sos, or sign up for the official Secretary of State Twitter feed, www.twitter.com/Michsos, or Facebook updates, www.facebook.com/Michigansos.

Customers also may call the Department of State Information Center to speak to a customer-service representative at 888-SOS-MICH (767-6424).

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