I have a friend who has just moved from Illinois to Michigan. Upon establishing her residence here by purchasing a house, she went to her new city clerk and registered to vote.
That part was easy. But then she discovered that a recent change in Michigan law (brought about by our Republican legislature) says that to vote the address on your voter registration has to match the address on your driver licence or state-issued I.D.
Fine, she said, and set out to get a Michigan driver license. Here's the catch: To convert an out-of-state license to Michigan, you have to go in person to a Secretary of State office. Easy? No! SoS offices have halted all walk-in service because of Covid 19. You can make an appointment online, but it won't be soon. My friend's appointment is in January 2021.
There is a process to move that up. They release next day appointments every day at 8 a.m. and noon. But after a week of trying, my friend found that those appointments are gone instantly. I'm not sure who's getting them.
So there you have it. Getting her license changed before the election seems impossible.
So, asking for a friend: Is there a way to get an appointment at an SoS office before the election?