Secretary of State offices will close for the holiday

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 Monday, Nov. 12.  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.”

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 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.

Plates can be renewed at www.ExpressSOS.com with Print ‘N Go technology that allows users to buy their tabs online and print a receipt to carry with them until their tabs arrive in the mail. Easy to follow instructions can be found with the renewal notice. In addition to renewing driver’s licenses and plates online, www.ExpressSOS.com customers also can submit changes of address, renew or replace vehicle and watercraft registrations, request duplicate titles and enroll to be organ donors.

Licenses and plates that expire on a day when state offices are closed, such as a holiday or weekend, may be renewed the following day without penalty.

License plate tabs also can be renewed at Self-Service Stations, many of which are available around the clock. Visit the Branch Office Locator at www.michigan.gov/sos to find a Self-Service Station near you.

Originally known as Armistice Day, this special Nov. 12 holiday was first celebrated in 1919 to recognize the men and women who died during World War 1. In 1938, it became an official federal holiday. The name was changed to Veterans Day in the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War to commemorate veterans of all wars.