Finance Department Seeks Input on DMV for Audit

As part of a state performance audit of the beleaguered Department of Motor Vehicles, California's Department of Finance has rolled out a Web page specifically to gather comments from the public and from DMV employees themselves about the agency.

The DMV has been in the spotlight over very long waiting times for customers and, most recently, over problems with the Motor Voter program, which was intended to automatically register DMV customers to vote unless they opted out. 

The complaints against the DMV began in earnest in August, when customers began complaining of unreasonably long wait times. The DMV attributed the delays in part to the state's requirements under the stricter federal Real ID program. The following month, a router failure affecting 70 of 172 state DMV offices caused delays in processing driver's licenses, identification cards and vehicle registrations. Then, in early September, the DMV revealed that it had erroneously registered 23,000 voters in the wrong political party. Finally, it was reported that the agency improperly registered some 1,500 customers to vote, including some non-citizens.

The DMV said it had corrected those errors, but Gov. Jerry Brown ordered the state Finance Department to do the audit.

As part of that process, the DoF is gathering input online from customers and employees alike, asking about their experiences with the DMV. 

"To assist with our audit efforts," the site says, "we are seeking information from DMV employees and members of the public regarding suggestions for improvement on processes, specific areas of concern, or general customer feedback. Please use the form below to share your comments and any supporting documents or details."