Johnson to speak on veteran benefits at American Legion convention in U.P.

Packed trip up north includes branch stops, community visits and discussing organ donation with hospital leaders

Secretary Johnson will meet with more than 400 members of the American Legion on Friday, June 28 to talk about efforts to assist veterans as part of her OPERATION: OUR TROOPS COUNT initiative.

Johnson, who noted the trip is just days before the Fourth of July celebration, said she wants to thank Legion members for all they have done for their country. Among the efforts the secretary will talk about is the new VETERAN designation on driver’s licenses and ID cards that will debut next year, a new fundraising plate that will raise money directly for vets and their families and a new pilot program to connect veterans with benefit information. The stop at the Legion’s summer convention in Sault Ste. Marie is one of several planned for Johnson’s eight-city trip in northern Michigan and the U.P. She’ll also be speaking at the Michigan Hospital Association's annual meeting on Mackinac Island about organ donation efforts and visiting branch offices.

Johnson to Bosch: Michigan is fighting its way back, going strong

Secretary Johnson met with top Bosch leaders on June 18 in Farmington Hills to promote job creation and investment in Michigan and shared good news about Michigan’s economy. Did you know that:

• Our Gross Domestic Product went from dead last in the nation in 2009 to sixth best nationally.
• Our population is growing for the first time since 2004.
• Last year marked the second year of job expansion after 10 years of decline.
• State motor vehicle production increased 21.2% from 2011 to 2012.
• We have some of the most respected higher-ed institutions in the world. (The University of Michigan, for example, is a world leader in research – doing more nationally than any other institution, more than MIT and Stanford.)
• Our income growth went from 42nd in the country to 15th best nationally.
• Michigan is #1 in the nation in terms of government-backed Small Business Loans.
• We are #1 in the nation in terms of job creation potential.
• Michigan’s technical job growth is #1 in the nation.

(Sources: MEDC, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Small Business Administration, Newsweek, 2010 Tech America Report, Senate Fiscal Agency)

ExpressSOS.com tops 3 million

The three-millionth transaction was reached earlier this month on ExpressSOS.com, the Secretary of State’s online services site, a milestone for the program that was launched in October 2011 and has saved customers time and effort. Nearly two million of the transactions were registration renewals. About 650,000 were changes of address and other updates of customer information. More than 260,000 customers renewed their driver’s license online. Other transactions included 71,000 organ donor registrations, nearly 32,000 duplicate driver’s licenses, 23,000 duplicate registrations, more than 19,000 duplicate titles and more than 12,000 personal ID card renewals. The ExpressSOS.com program set a record for transactions in a month in May, with more than 177,000. The most transactions completed in a single day occurred on Monday, March 25, when 10,292 were recorded.

SOS closed on 4th

All Secretary of State offices and the Office of the Great Seal will be closed on Thurs., July 4 in observance of Independence Day.

Many transactions, including license plate renewals and driver’s license/state ID renewals or replacements, can be done online at ExpressSOS.com on holidays and any other day, 24/7.

Voter reg. deadline for Aug. election is July 8

Michigan residents have until Monday, July 8, to register in order to vote in the Aug. 6 election. To register, applicants must be age 18 by Election Day and be U.S. citizens. Applicants must also be residents of Michigan and of the city or township in which they wish to register. The polls will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and 56 counties in the state will hold elections. Some may be primaries.

To find out if there is an election in your community or check your voter registration status, visit our Michigan Voter Information Center at www.michigan.gov/vote. You can also view a sample ballot, find information on absentee voting, learn about Michigan’s voter ID requirement, access voting equipment instructions and find contact information for your local clerk. In addition, you’ll find a map to your local polling place. A smart phone version is also available at the same website.

Honoring Juneteenth

Secretary Johnson recently spoke at the Juneteenth Celebration, the oldest national event honoring the Emancipation Proclamation.  In her remarks, the secretary called upon citizens “…to have a voice, to vote and to champion the rights that we should never take for granted.”  Her remarks highlighted elements of her Secure and Fair Elections initiative, the largest election reform effort in Michigan’s recent history.

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