Chicago North Illinois Secretary of State Facility — Local services in Jefferson Township

2 days ago I was here and Briana was very helpful and I left 5 stars review for her and I am changing this to 1 star today. Same day, 2 days ago, after I left this facility, my wallet got stolen, today (they were closed Sunday) I came in to get my ID and Driver's license, I was told to make an appointment. They didn't have this before, we were just walking in. Anyway at the end I didn't know it, the only place takes walk in is downtown which takes 1 hour to get there, wait in a long line and who knows when you will be taken care of. I have an exam tomorrow which I paid 400 dollars for it, If I miss it I lose the money and I need an ID for it. And I can't cancel it if it's less than 24 hours, this is why there was no point for me to go downtown because now it's less than 24 hours. And I have to work today which is a very important work that they all rely on me. So which one is worst i could not decde. Despite providing a POLICE REPORT and proof of my upcoming exam, no exceptions were made to accommodate my situation. It's perplexing and frustrating, especially considering I presented official documentation from another government establishment indicating the urgency of my need. This raises concerns about the flexibility and responsiveness of government services in critical times. This experience has been utterly frustrating and disheartening. Overwhelmed by the situation, I found myself in tears. Given the frequent no-shows at appointments, it's bewildering that an exception couldn't be made in my urgent case. As a government facility, I expected support and facilitation, not obstacles.

Additionally, the interaction with the supervisor added to my distress. He was dismissive and rude during our conversation. When I asked for rapid assistance, he directed me brusquely to the website, showing visible annoyance. While trying to find the information on the site, his response was to "keep looking for it" without offering any real help, a response that felt both dismissive and disrespectful. Rather than assisting, he simply stared, making the entire interaction feel more confrontational than supportive. Such behavior is not only unhelpful but also diminishes the trust and respect citizens should feel towards governmental service providers. When I managed to open the correct website, the supervisor maintained the same dismissive attitude. I inquired if I could possibly use a slot from the no-show appointments. He confirmed it was possible but vaguely directed me to "find it on the website." As I struggled to locate the information, he merely watched, offering no assistance. Frustrated, I asked for help, emphasizing that I wasn't inept, just unable to find the necessary details. His response was curt and unhelpful, stating, "that's it, I don't have to help you."

Even if he was busy, a simple acknowledgment like, "I'm currently busy, but one of our colleagues will assist you shortly," would have sufficed. Instead, his refusal to provide help underlined a broader issue: a misplaced sense of superiority tied to his position. The problem in our country is if people have a title they think they are above everyone.

If this were a private facility, I doubt I would have been treated this way; however, because it's a state facility, it feels as though the quality of service is significantly lower. As a taxpayer, it's disheartening to receive such poor service in return. After the supervisor left, I sought help from other staff members to find available spots on the website, only to be told that no such option exists. I suspect that at least 20% of people don't show up for their appointments, yet there's no provision to accommodate someone in an emergency situation. Today was one of my most challenging days, filled with frustration and desperation. I wish that supervisor could experience a moment of urgent need with no one to assist him, to understand the impact of his indifference. As for the person who stole my wallet, I find it hard to wish anything but hardship upon them, reflecting the turmoil they have...

This place is like a cartoon stereotype of the ugliest type of government. Having to go into this building is like being a character in a Fritz Lang movie. You will be treated like a prison inmate. The public employees who are being paid to provide services to everyone believe that they are royalty and we are their minions. The Constitution goes through a paper shredder the moment you set foot on the property. You must be willing to waive your first, second, and fourth amendment rights in order to conduct the business that the government requires of you. One such example is the appointment process. You have to provide identity and personal information just to schedule an appointment. This is a public building. We all have the right to enter public buildings and stand in the lobby or use the bathroom or get a drink of water or ask a question or take a picture or just videotape people going in and out or video tape public employees in the course of their duties anytime we want without appointment. They simply do not have the authority to deny you access to your public building. It's illegal. Beyond that, they are so ridiculously corrupt. For example, you can walk right into the vehicle services building and change your address on your registration without an appointment. But you cannot change the address on your identification or your driver's license without an appointment. So what does this mean? If you move from the suburbs to the city, you have to buy a city sticker. But you cannot buy a City Sticker without proof of address. This means that if you change your vehicle registration, you are now susceptible to getting tickets in Chicago for not having a city sticker. But the city of Chicago will not sell you a City Sticker until you have proof of residency. It's a catch-22. The secretary of state will change your vehicle registration without much, but they won't change your ID card address without a lot more paperwork.

They are setting you up to fail. The city and the state make their laws contradictory to each other intentionally so that they can extract money from you. Just move out of illinois. It is the most corrupt state in the country. Just plain dirty. Go to my YouTube page to watch an unedited video of the Elston DMV letting the person in front of me in without an appointment, but not letting me in without an appointment. They're not permitted to pick and choose who...

I went to this facility to renew my driver's licence. Here is some information I gathered that may help others in planning for this visit: 1- There is NO parallel parking test. 2- The test consists of driving with the examiner on the streets near the SOS facility. My examiner was a very nice,friendly lady named K(C?)rystal. Her instructions were very clear. She basically asked me to make right,left turns on the streets. We returned to the facility in about 10 minutes. Then on the facility test ground she asked me to pull into an alley like dead-end and had me back to the street. Very easy driving and after parking told me I had passed. Being a senior helped. After getting a ticket from the greeter I noticed that there were probably 200 people waiting for their ticket number to be be displayed to go to the counter number shown next to the ticket number and finish the paperwork/vision test. I thought it would take a few hours to be called. My ticket number was D449 but there were no numbers displayed starting with D for the next 10 minutes or so. And then suddenly my number appeared on the display for counter 15 which is the vision test. This took about 7-8 minutes consisting of trying to read letters of various sizes. I could not read the ones on line 5 very well but the tester switched me to line 5 where I did not have any problems. Then he asked me if I see any blinking lights and I did not. I thought there must be something wrong with the test since I had had my yearly eye-exam 2 weeks prior. When he told me to take my glasses off and try again, I did see blinking lights on the very side of my eyes and I passed. May be the test should have been explained better. Next I went to the cashier and paid the $5 fee and was told to take my car and drive to the road test area. There were 3 lanes where the vehicles lined up on the two outer lanes(About 20 cars in each lane). The center lane was empty. Soon after, an officer came, checked my paperwork and insurance card. Asked me to step on the brake pedal, horn and activate the right/ left turn signals. Next he told me to move on the center lane till the very and wait for the examiner. Nice to be a senior citizen sometimes! I was done in about 45 minutes after I arrived at the facility. Overall it was a nice experience. Some of the people I interfaced with were friendly, some so-so, but Kristal the examiner...