We’ve known for years that this deadline was coming. There is no excuse for the Motor Vehicle Commission to be this unprepared.
My constituents are waking up early, refreshing their screens, only to watch appointments vanish in seconds. Some are driving over an hour just for an available slot. It’s outrageous.
Bureaucrats had plenty of time to plan for this rush and yet the system is failing the very people it’s supposed to serve. Where’s the urgency? Where’s the accountability? This is a basic government function, and right now, it’s a total mess.
The REAL ID law was passed in 2005. New Jersey has had nearly two decades—and multiple deadline extensions—to get ready. Drivers renew their licenses every four years. Most have renewed at least five times since then. Yet somehow, the MVC is still scrambling.
It didn’t have to be this way. New Jersey’s six-point ID system, implemented in 2003, already collected most of the documents needed for REAL ID. The state could have been gradually transitioning residents all along. Instead, nothing changed.
The only real differences between a standard license and a REAL ID are two proofs of address instead of one, verified proof of a full Social Security number, and presentation of an original birth certificate or valid U.S. passport—documents many drivers already showed up with.
Making matters worse, during the pandemic the MVC restructured its offices, splitting locations into either licensing centers or vehicle centers. Residents could no longer complete all their paperwork in one trip. A move meant to streamline operations only made basic government services harder to access.
Now, with days left before the May 7 deadline, residents who followed every rule are left in limbo. They cannot even get an appointment.
Appointments are disappearing faster than Bruce Springsteen tickets, and people are stuck refreshing their screens like it’s a race to the Stone Pony, except with Bruce, at least you might actually get a seat.
A CBS News analysis from April 7-18 confirmed what we are hearing on the ground: New Jersey ranks dead last, with just 17% of drivers compliant with REAL ID requirements. We are 49th out of 49 states reporting. That’s sad!
Those who played by the rules are being punished by a system that should have been ready years ago. This is not a surprise. It is a failure of planning, a failure of leadership, and a failure to deliver even the most basic government services.
But it is not too late to fix it.
The MVC should immediately extend hours statewide, opening at nights and on weekends until the backlog clears. It must deploy more mobile units to towns, shopping centers and senior centers, and create express counters dedicated solely to processing REAL ID upgrades.
The online appointment system must be upgraded so it can actually handle demand without crashing or glitching. A real public outreach campaign is also needed to clearly explain what documents are required, where and how appointments can be made, and to remind people that a valid passport is an acceptable alternative. The MVC should also launch emergency pop-up events in high-demand areas to process hundreds of residents at a time.
We can still turn this around, but it is going to take urgency, real leadership and a serious commitment to serving the people of New Jersey—not making excuses.
