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Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said more steps
are being taken to update what services Illinoisans can get from
his office online. For 2024, he said Illinoisans should resolve
to not go to the DMV.
“I'm serious, don't come unless you are 100% certain that you
need to visit one of our facilities,” Giannoulias said Thursday
during a news conference.
Since expanding the office’s “Skip The Line” program in
September, Giannoulias said they’ve accommodated more than
800,000 people with appointments. In the new year, more may be
able to skip the line altogether.
“Of the more than 2.25 million Illinoisans who will need their
driver's license renewed in 2024, more than 1 million or nearly
half have the ability to renew online or by mail or over the
phone,” he said.
Other modernization being announced – texting customers to
confirm appointments – addresses something Giannoulias said is a
big problem.
“So what we've seen is people schedule an appointment, they just
grab whatever they can and they never show up,” he said. “And it
puts us in a bind. This texting system is an enormously
important step to help make sure people are confirming their
appointments.”
Other new features include expanding eligibility for online
driver's license and state ID renewals, a new appointment
portal, establishing a dedicated help line for accessing online
services and expanding DMV facilities for seniors and
behind-the-wheel tests.
By looking online for what services are available, Giannoulias
said Illinoisans can save time and trouble.
“I cannot tell you the amount of people who go to a facility
take time off work, leave their home when it's snowing out, to
trudge to a facility, wait in line and then they realized they
never even had to go,” Giannoulias said. “I mean, it happens so
much and I've got anecdote after anecdote.”
A list of various services Illinoisans can access from the
Secretary of State can be found at their website, ILSOS.gov.
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