Fact check: Vaccination proof is not required to renew driver licenses or registrations

LOWVILLE — Despite misinformation on social media outlets circulating over the weekend, proof of COVID-19 vaccination has not been mandated for the renewal of driver licenses and registrations.

The Facebook and Instagram meme, which came to the attention of a number of county clerks in charge of Department of Motor Vehicle offices across the state, is in the form of what appears to be an article from Rochester’s WROC-TV, being “reported” from Albany, and contains information confirmed to be untrue: Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul did not issue such a mandate and there are no plans to do so.

Lewis County Clerk Jake Moser said the topic of the meme came up on Tuesday in the “listserve” email chain that clerks around the state use to share information.

The DMV committee within the Clerk’s Association met with state representatives to confirm “there was not any truth to this release floating around social media.”

Mr. Moser said some clerks were “hoping it wasn’t true” but left some room for possibility. Both his office and the Lewis County DMV have been receiving calls from people asking about it.

“I give the residents and customers who have called credit for reaching out to the source to see if there’s any truth to it,” Mr. Moser said, adding he hopes “hearsay” doesn’t take the misinformation into the general population.

“My concern is that we have enough division in our area as it is. There is no need to throw more fuel on the division fire and that’s all that this is doing,” Mr. Moser said. “I’m not taking any side with this ... we want to educate and inform the public. We want to be completely transparent and we want to be accessible and that’s what this has to do with.”