Secretary of State Ruth Johnson reminds residents that, in honor of Veterans Day, all Secretary of State offices and the Office of the Great Seal will be closed Wednesday, Nov. 11. She also encouraged people to thank veterans for their service and sacrifice.

“I had a rare opportunity to visit our troops in the Middle East in 2012 to study how to make overseas voting easier for those in the military,” Johnson said. “I will never forget the sense of honor, duty and patriotism that those young men and women displayed in spite of the terrible conditions. We owe everyone who has ever served this country a great debt for their service and sacrifice.”

Michigan is home to more than 680,000 veterans, the 11th largest population nationally. Given the great number of veterans who live here, Johnson has unveiled a number of initiatives in support of them:

•    Creating a veteran designation on driver’s licenses and state ID cards that helps identify Michigan veterans so they can be connected with the benefits they have earned and deserved.
•    Pushing new ways to ensure that military personnel have their votes counted on Election Day, such as successfully advocating to extend a federal write-in ballot to state and local races.
•    Waiving road tests for veterans applying for a Commercial Driver License to help their transition to civilian life if they have sufficient heavy truck experience in the military.
•    Offering more than two dozen military license plates that are available for veterans and their spouses, allowing them to display their service with pride.

“Patriotism and service run deep in Michigan,” Johnson added. “This Veterans Day, take a moment to thank a vet for his or her service.”

Because of the Veterans Day closure, Johnson recommends residents find alternate ways or days to get their Secretary of State business done.