Jackson, Miss.— Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann’s efforts to increase access to voting for overseas servicemembers have earned national recognition by the National Guard Association of the United States.

Hosemann recently received the Major General Charles Dick Medal of Merit in Las Vegas, Nevada, amid 4,000 active and retired soldiers from across the country. The prestigious award recognizes state and national elected officials who have demonstrated significant support which has a “lasting effect” on the National Guard.

“In recent days, we have again been reminded of the significant sacrifices our soldiers make every day for our freedoms,” Hosemann said. “The Mississippi National Guard are our American heroes.”

“Lt. Governor Hosemann has been a champion for the National Guard at home and abroad throughout his entire time in office,” Major General Janson “Durr” Boyles said.  “We are thankful for his efforts to our brave men and women serving in the Mississippi National Guard.”

During his terms as Mississippi Secretary of State from 2012 to 2020, Hosemann advocated for legislation to streamline absentee voting for deployed servicemembers and created an online clearinghouse of Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) information. He also traveled to numerous armories, hospitals, and bases—including active combat zones in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan—to provide information to and receive feedback from soldiers about UOCAVA voting.

Since he became Lieutenant Governor in 2020, Hosemann has been on the ground after tornadoes and flooding disasters, and at bases and vaccination sites, to visit with soldiers, understand their missions, and determine whether the Legislature can further assist in operations.