State Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) hosted a “Mobile DMV” event in collaboration with the Illinois Secretary of State’s Mobile Driver Services Unit on Friday. 

At the Robert Crown Community Center, representatives from the Secretary of State’s office assisted residents with renewing and correcting their driver’s licenses, obtaining REAL IDs, registering to vote and registering as an organ or tissue donor, among other services. 

“It was so fast,” said 6th Ward resident Sarah Petersen, who obtained her REAL ID at Friday’s event. “Super easy. Easy to make an appointment, easy to come in. I didn’t have to wait at all.”

For Gabel’s office, convenience was the primary motivation behind bringing the Mobile DMV to Evanston.

Michal Sered-Schoenberg, Gabel’s chief of staff, said DMV appointments can be difficult to book. 

“Our job is to offer services to the people in our community and make the things that they need more accessible,” Sered-Schoenberg said. “That is part of bringing the DMV directly to Evanston.”

While the city has a seniors-only DMV facility at the Levy Senior Center, there is no full-service DMV facility in the area. 

To take road tests or obtain identification cards, individuals must travel to Chicago, Deerfield, Des Plaines or other Illinois cities to visit a Secretary of State facility.

Sered-Schoenberg said offering a mobile DMV service especially helps those who have “a lot on their hands.”

“It just gives people an opportunity to come in to the scheduled appointment, move through it quick and get out,” Sered-Schoenberg said.

Petersen said the Mobile DMV event made it easier for residents like her to receive assistance. She said she had been trying to obtain a REAL ID since May 2025, when adults started having to carry an approved form of identification to board domestic flights.

While she tried to obtain her ID sooner, Petersen said she was unable to due to issues with the Secretary of State’s website.

Every time she boarded a domestic flight, she said she was handed a warning card to obtain a REAL ID. 

“I always feel a little bit more nervous with the passport in my pocket,” Petersen said. “But I’m happy; this was so much easier. So I would definitely do this again.” 

Petersen said that she was able to complete Friday’s appointment in 15 minutes, the fastest DMV visit she’s ever had.

The event also saw representatives from the Northern Illinois Transit Authority and the Office of the State Treasurer, Michael Frerichs. 

The Mobile DMV initiative in Evanston was one of 1,700 similar events held by the Illinois Secretary of State’s office since January 2023. According to an Oct. 6 news release, the Mobile DMV program has completed more than 62,000 transactions and issued more than 50,000 REAL IDs, driver’s licenses and state IDs in that span. 

“It’s a great service that the Secretary of State’s Office offers,” Gabel told The Daily. “If they didn’t offer it, we couldn’t do it. So I think it shows how sensitive the Secretary of State is to make sure that people have some convenience, because they know that there are long lines at their offices.” 

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