Impacted Michigan residents will receive replacement IDs at no additional cost
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Approximately 8,200 Michigan residents received misprinted licenses with a stranger’s photo and generic birthdate
- The error was caused by a vendor and affected licenses printed on August 26
- Corrected licenses have been issued, and temporary IDs are available for those needing replacements immediately
More than 8,000 Michigan residents received driver’s licenses printed with a stranger’s image by mistake.
“Approximately 8,200 Michiganders who recently applied for or renewed an enhanced driver’s license or state ID received a misprinted card in the mail this week,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s Office wrote in a Sept. 5 Facebook post. “The misprints are the result of an error by our vendor Idemia.”
The error impacted a batch of licenses and other forms of identification printed on Aug. 26, according to the secretary of state’s office. The agency said the photo of the stranger appearing on the licenses was a “stock photo,” and that the date of birth listed is “generic” and does not belong to the man in the photo.
“We have already sent new, corrected cards to everyone who received a misprinted license or ID,” the agency added.
Michigan resident Lenita Nelson was surprised by the mix-up when she received her new license, she told WDIV.
“At first, I really didn’t think,” Nelson told the outlet in an interview published on Thursday, Sept. 10. “I’m like, OK, maybe they’re putting the secretary of state on the licenses. But then I’m like, girl, the secretary of state is not a Black man.”
Nelson added that impacted residents were not notified until weeks after the misprinted forms of ID had been distributed.
“They could have sent out a blast email or anything and said, ‘Hey, make sure that you look and check,’” Nelson told WDIV.
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In the meantime, affected people are able to go online or visit a secretary of state branch office in person to print a temporary license or ID to use if they need to travel before receiving their replacement card. Old licenses and ID cards are still valid for travel so long as they have not expired.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Michigan Secretary of State’s Office and Idemia.
Read the full article here
