Question: My mother moved earlier this year. My sister turned in a change-of-address card for her and requested a permanent absentee mail ballot, although she already was a permanent absentee voter. My mom got the yellow notice of voter registration and address confirmation, which indicated “Permanent Absentee Mail Voter” on it. My mom did not get her ballot, and my sister found out that a separate change-of-address application had to be filed for the absentee ballot. The ballot had been mailed to my mom’s old address and was not forwardable. This does not sound like good procedure. Why can’t they change the address with one change-of-address request?
Answer: The fact that absentee ballots sent to a wrong or old address are not forwardable apparently is not widely known.
“The permanent absentee program was established two years ago, and this is the first election cycle where voters were automatically mailed a ballot without having to reapply,” noted Glen Takahashi, Honolulu’s election administrator.
He said when voters apply for the permanent absentee program, they “sign off” on an acknowledgment that they are responsible for informing the elections office of any change to their ballot forwarding address.
His office cannot automatically change a person’s ballot forwarding address when a person registers to vote, he said, since many voters opt to receive mail at addresses other than their home, such as at post office boxes, work, school, etc.
“Admittedly, we will need to do some voter education on this issue, and over time voters will hopefully become more aware of how the program works,” Takahashi said.
Asked about having that information on voter notification postcards, he said the office is “somewhat limited” on the amount of voter-specific, variable information and instruction that can be provided.
“However, it is something that we will definitely look into during our review of the 2012 elections,” he said. “We have recently introduced a new combined voter registration/permanent absentee ballot application form that will hopefully help to address this issue.”
That form is not yet in widespread use.
SmartMeters Feedback
The city installed 110 SmartMeters in the Capitol District and 231 more in the downtown-Chinatown area this summer as part of a pilot project and is looking for feedback from users.
Call Rae Gee, parking coordinator for the Department of Transportation Services, at 768-8357 or email parking@honolulu.gov.
You can also fill out a survey at www.ipsgroupinc.com/honolulu/index.html.
SmartMeters are solar-powered and will accept payment by coins or MasterCard and Visa credit or debit cards. You can also pay by cellphone using a mobile app. The meters are programmed to know when payment is required and when it is not.
“We are in a six-month testing phase where we are verifying estimates of operational cost and confirming that the parking meters function as claimed by the manufacturer,” Transportation Director Wayne Yoshioka said.
The parking meter vendor is refining the operation of the vehicle sensors and the software as part of the trial period, he said.
At the end of the trial period, if the meters are working “acceptably, operational costs are as expected, and operational issues have been addressed, DTS will move into Phase 2, which entails replacing and adding a total of 2,742 meters islandwide,” Yoshioka said.
Mahalo
To a nice lady who paid for my breakfast at a pancake restaurant one day in September. I was told by the waitress that she wanted to do something nice that day. I frequently give free services in my business, so it was very nice to be on the receiving end. — Grateful Person
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
