By Mike Kruzman / news@whmi.com

Livingston County residents needing the Secretary of State’s services will have to endure a pause in their operations. Long planned major upgrades to the Secretary of State’s technologies begin Friday, March 12th. Branch offices will be closed all day and again on Monday. They will reopen at 9am, Tuesday.

This temporary suspension of services includes the branch appointment system, public call center, online services, and self-service stations.

The Michigan Voter Information Center, online, will not be impacted and other online voter registration and related services will continue to be available.

According to a release from the Michigan State Department, the upgrade will combine tens of millions of driver and vehicle records into a single integrated customer record system, moving the department forward from decades-old technologies.

Beginning March 16th the upgrade will enable new online services and expand the capability of self-service stations to include many driver’s license and state ID transactions.

Information and answers to frequently asked questions will remain available online, at Michigan.gov/SOS.