LANSING — The Michigan Department of State (MDOS) will temporarily lay off more than 900 members of its staff starting on Sunday, April 26.

The layoffs will last two weeks, and could be extended.

“This is an extremely challenging time for our state, our state government and our department,” said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. “This decision was not easy, but is necessary to responsibly steward taxpayer funds at this time.”

The Department is laying off all staff who are not able to work full-time under the Stay Home, Stay Safe order. The majority of them are staff who typically work in Secretary of State branch offices, which are currently closed. All laid off MDOS employees, like all state employees who will be laid off at this time, will be automatically enrolled in the state’s unemployment system.

These layoffs will not impact MDOS services available to the public, a press release from the Department said. Many driver and vehicle transactions can be carried out online and at self-service stations located in grocery stores across the state. A list of online services and stations can be found at Michigan.gov/SOS. Additionally, the Bureau of Elections remains open, as elections are considered a critical infrastructure sector in the Stay Home, Stay Safe order, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.