Government of the numbers, by the numbers, for the numbers

This play on President Lincoln's phrase about government of the people, by the people, and for the people can be illustrated from this Tuesday late morning photo outside of the offices for the secretary of state in rural Michigan, formerly a retail outlet in a 1970s-era indoor shopping mall that went out of business and has been leased for this organ of state record-keeping and fee collection since the late 1980s or so in this location. Around that time the functions of voter registration were merged with motor vehicle administration (the so-called motor-voter law) in order to keep a person's address up to date for both purposes.

"no photos or electronic recording allowed inside" the door sign says, 3/2019

There is a self-serve kiosk in the foreground for some routine transactions, but updating a driver's license photo, transferring the title of property, and other tasks must be done in person. Many times the business can be handled via the online portal or with the postal service, too. The sign near the floor at bottom left in large letters says that once per week there are evening hours available for those who are unable to come during ordinary business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Inside the office are three rows of 8 or 10 chairs so that a person can take a number from the dispenser at the doorway and keep track of how many customers are waiting ahead of one's own turn. There is a ceiling mounted video display that alternates between announcements of services offered, new state requirements, weather, sports, and news headlines. For people who did not bring their own reading material or who are content to stare at their phone screens, this ceiling mounted screen seems to occupy their attention.

Seldom is the administration of motor vehicles in the news headlines, although voting rights regularly crops up due to the extreme manipulation of voting precinct boundaries (Gerrymandering). There are also ongoing efforts to make vote-by-mail and deployed armed-forces voting more convenient and secure. On balance, however, most residents with voting eligibility and those who operate some form of motorized vehicle do seem content with the system of keeping records in order, up-to-date, and paying no more or no less than they owe. Perhaps the bureaucratic organism of 100 or 200 years ago would be amazed at the present standard of practice, thanks to telecommunication and vast record-keeping, searching, and interpreting data.