So. The first week of September the Old Man and I went to register for homestead exemption in Alabama. The clerk said that was cool, "I need to see your driver's licenses." We handed her our Virginia licenses, and she said, "You can't register for homestead exemption unless you have Alabama licenses." Um, okay.
So we went to the DMV. The clerk said, "You can't get a state-transferred license here. You have to go to the State Trooper's office on Church Street. You also have to have your birth certificates and social security cards." Um, okay. We finally had both of our birth certificates after discovering Jeff couldn't find his and we ordered a certified copy from his state of birth back in August. But then Jeff looked in his wallet for his social security card, and nada. Seriously? Dude!
So we went to the social security office, waited an hour to see a clerk, and finally placed an order for a replacement card, and headed to the Trooper's office on Church Street.
The clerk on Church said, "We aren't accepting any more appointments today." It was 10:00 a.m. Um, okay. She followed up by saying, "You need to make an appointment online, unless you want to take a chance and form a line at 6:00 tomorrow morning, and even then it's not guaranteed." Um, okay.
We went home and I got online and I made us both an appointment - first available appointments are in October. Meanwhile, Jeff's replacement social security card was delivered, and as I handed it to him, I said, "DO NOT LOSE THIS CARD!" He grimaced, mumbled he wouldn't, and disappeared into his sanctuary: his bathroom. Uh huh. We'll see if he can hang onto it...!
Meanwhile Alabama is set to shutter in October and January all driver's licenses offices with the exception of four cities: Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile. Here's my question: if it took us over a month to get an appointment at our local DMV, what's going to happen to all the poor souls in rural counties who will be bombarding one of the four remaining DMVs? Before you think, damn, what a hassle, it ain't just a hassle; this affects voting rights, as well. Alabama has a voter ID law in place; if it takes months to get a driver's license and/or state issued ID, how will that affect voter registration, not to mention jury duty and insurance rates (after all, if many of the drivers on state roads are unlicensed, this is sure to impact insurance rates). Wow. Welcome to Alabama, y'all.
So we went to the DMV. The clerk said, "You can't get a state-transferred license here. You have to go to the State Trooper's office on Church Street. You also have to have your birth certificates and social security cards." Um, okay. We finally had both of our birth certificates after discovering Jeff couldn't find his and we ordered a certified copy from his state of birth back in August. But then Jeff looked in his wallet for his social security card, and nada. Seriously? Dude!
So we went to the social security office, waited an hour to see a clerk, and finally placed an order for a replacement card, and headed to the Trooper's office on Church Street.
The clerk on Church said, "We aren't accepting any more appointments today." It was 10:00 a.m. Um, okay. She followed up by saying, "You need to make an appointment online, unless you want to take a chance and form a line at 6:00 tomorrow morning, and even then it's not guaranteed." Um, okay.
We went home and I got online and I made us both an appointment - first available appointments are in October. Meanwhile, Jeff's replacement social security card was delivered, and as I handed it to him, I said, "DO NOT LOSE THIS CARD!" He grimaced, mumbled he wouldn't, and disappeared into his sanctuary: his bathroom. Uh huh. We'll see if he can hang onto it...!
Meanwhile Alabama is set to shutter in October and January all driver's licenses offices with the exception of four cities: Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile. Here's my question: if it took us over a month to get an appointment at our local DMV, what's going to happen to all the poor souls in rural counties who will be bombarding one of the four remaining DMVs? Before you think, damn, what a hassle, it ain't just a hassle; this affects voting rights, as well. Alabama has a voter ID law in place; if it takes months to get a driver's license and/or state issued ID, how will that affect voter registration, not to mention jury duty and insurance rates (after all, if many of the drivers on state roads are unlicensed, this is sure to impact insurance rates). Wow. Welcome to Alabama, y'all.
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