Mobile Secretary of State van visits NMU

The Michigan Department of State is touring the campuses of the state’s Public 15 universities, and today the organization was at NMU. The department’s mobile branch office can do anything a brick–and–mortar Secretary of State office does, from renewing tags to signing you up to be an organ donor. But the tour places emphasis on voter registration.

Robert Gatt, Mobile Office Analyst with the Secretary of State, said, “We’re going to have them get excited to vote for this November’s general election. They’re going to be able to ask us any questions about the process and get anything else done that they need from the Secretary of State. It’s a total convenience for us to be right here on campus and be able to get it done for them, walking distance to their dorms. We’re right here in the midst of all the dorms so it’s good for them.”

The greatest convenience is for first–time voters, who must register and can’t send in an absentee ballot. The Secretary of State has done these mobile branch tours for years now and the response has been very positive.

“They really seem to appreciate the convenience of having a mobile office ready to go and help them out,” Gatt said.

The mobile office was going to set up shop on the academic mall outside the Learning Resources Center, but construction forced it to move. It could be found outside Halverson Hall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It was at Lake Superior State yesterday and will visit Michigan Tech tomorrow.