DECEMBER 14, 2007

Land continues dedication
to customer service in ‘07

Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land continued the dedication to excellent customer service in 2007 that Michigan residents have come to expect from her administration.

For the fifth consecutive year, striving to use every tax dollar wisely and drawing on the power of innovation and technology, Land guided the Michigan Department of State to a number of advancements for millions of state residents.

"From day one, our philosophy at the Department of State has not changed," said Land. "We seek to provide the best possible service to our customers. When budget realities limit our resources, we find a way to do more with less. This year, once again, we are pleased to have achieved solid results for taxpayers."

Expanding the number of SUPER!Centers and PLUS offices, taking cost-effective steps that save tax dollars, implementing a new voter ID safeguard in elections, providing a new curriculum for driver education, and issuing heart stickers for driver's licenses that will help save more lives through organ donation are just some of this year's achievements.

Highlights of the department's 2007 accomplishments include:

ENHANCING CUSTOMER SERVICE

• Opening a new SUPER!Center in Oakland County and seven PLUS offices statewide in 2007 to offer enhanced services as part of Land's Branch Office Modernization Program.
• Offering document certification at all SUPER!Centers, as well as the Marquette County PLUS Office, so residents can avoid having to travel or mail to Lansing for help.
• Processing more transactions for customers online. There were 912,000 online registration renewals in fiscal year 2007-55,000 more than fiscal year 2006. From 2003 to 2007, online renewals have jumped 230 percent.
• Launching the MIFleet pilot program with Consumers Energy, with plans to expand statewide. The program involves the issuance of special fleet license plates that save companies the trouble of putting new registration tabs on hundreds of vehicles each year.
• Recording the 175,000th transaction in the Dealer Direct Program, in which customers can purchase plates and tabs when buying a new car at participating dealerships.

STRENGTHENING THE ELECTIONS SYSTEM

• Successfully implementing the voter ID requirement upheld by the Supreme Court, which adds another layer of protection against fraud and ensures the integrity of elections.
• Creating a new version of the Qualified Voter File (QVF) software that allows clerks of smaller jurisdictions to directly access QVF records online rather than having to obtain the information from the county clerk's office.
• Completing the digitized signature project, which integrated 6.8 million signatures into the QVF to provide expedited and more accurate verification for local election officials. This new safeguard is especially helpful in the processing of absentee ballots.

HARNESSING THE POWER OF TECHNOLOGY

• Increasing Self-Service Station transactions, where customers print their vehicle tabs in minutes, to more than 165,000 since inception, up 52 percent from fiscal year 2006.
• Using broadcast e-mail, a much more cost-effective method, to provide thousands of dealers, repair facilities and mechanics with newsletters, training announcements and other important information over the Internet rather than mailing the materials to them.

SAVING MONEY, SPENDING SMARTLY

• Providing campaign finance manuals, forms and instructions on CD rather than paper, a move that is expected to save the Bureau of Elections more than $100,000.
• Upgrading to high-speed cable rather than conventional data lines in branch offices, which provides faster processing and annual savings of $30,000.

STRIVING TO ENSURE SAFETY

• Implementing a model curriculum for students and instructors and other changes to the state's driver education program, making Michigan's roads safer.
• Promoting motorcycle safety by purchasing 24 training motorcycles with grant money, revising motorcycle knowledge tests and expanding the number of motorcycle training providers in the state to 31, up from 19 in 2004.

HELPING COMMUNITIES SUCCEED

• Distributing heart-shaped stickers to those willing to be organ donors for placement on their driver's licenses, a better donor identification system expected to save more lives.
• Recording the 200,000th abandoned vehicle cleared from roads and communities under the Abandoned Vehicle Law, which Land championed.
• Land earned the Mayor's Cup, given by the Michigan Boating Industries Association in recognition of outstanding contributions to the recreational boating industry.

Comprehensive list of initiatives and accomplishments.