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Question: In reference to the Nov. 8 “Kokua Line” about drivers age 25 to 71 being eligible for eight-year licenses: What year did the law change, revising the term/duration of the licenses from six years to eight years?
Answer: That change was made after the state Legislature passed Act 50 in 2008 (see goo.gl/isuhp), effective Nov. 3, 2008.
It is now Section 286-106 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes.
It’s all about timing for those of you wondering whether you qualify for the extended license.
If you were 71 on or after Nov. 3, 2008, you should have been issued a license that expired in eight years, based on the expiration date of the previous license, said Dennis Kamimura, administrator of the city’s Motor Vehicle and Licensing Division.
He gave these examples:
>> If a person’s license indicated a Dec. 3, 2008, expiration date and that person renewed his license on or after Nov. 3, 2008, the new expiration date would be Dec. 3, 2016.
>> If that same person renewed his license before Nov. 3, 2008, he would have been issued a six-year license, expiring Dec. 3, 2014.
Kamimura said the date the license was issued can be found on the front of the license, in the field “ISS.”
“The eight-year period is the maximum length of time that we can issue a license based upon the REAL ID Act,” he said.
Question: When and why did they stop indicating who the incumbents are on the ballots?
Answer: If you’re talking about Hawaii ballots, incumbents have never been noted, according to state and county election officials.
Honolulu Election Administrator Glen Takahashi even reviewed ballot layouts from previous Hawaii elections going back decades and couldn’t find one that indicated who the incumbent candidates were.
Whether you’re a challenger or an incumbent, “the process is identical,” said Rex Quidilla, spokesman for the state Office of Elections. “We don’t even collect any data that says you’re an incumbent. … The whole tenet is to treat everyone running for office the same way.”
Section 11-112 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes deals with “contents of ballot” and says ballots “shall contain the names of the candidates, their party affiliation or nonpartisanship in partisan election contests, the offices for which they are running, and the district in which the election is being held.”
It notes other requirements or options but nothing regarding incumbency.
Mahalo
To some special strangers who came to the aid of my husband and me on Friday, Aug. 24, in Chinatown. We were walking around when my husband tripped over a raised edge on a small manhole cover. He fell flat on his face and momentarily had the wind knocked out of him. Immediately, two ladies stopped to help, a strong man stopped to help my son lift my husband to his feet, and another gentleman offered a ride to the hospital (or back to our hotel). Nothing seemed to be broken, the bleeding was tended to by the sweet ladies, so we continued on our way. We had a delicious lunch in a little cafe while my husband regained his strength and composure. To those of you who stopped to help a stranger, may you be forever blessed for your kind attention to us. We think of you often and will pass your kindness forward. Aloha from Boise, Idaho. — Patricia
Patricia’s letter from Boise was addressed to the Star-Advertiser’s printing plant in Kapolei and mailed on Sept. 17. For some reason, the letter ended up in Taiwan, to the address of Alice Chiao, a former Hawaii resident.
Chiao said that after reading the letter, she felt she had to make sure it got to the Star-Advertiser.
“It is a heartwarming letter filled with the spirit of aloha that I miss so much after moving away three years ago,” she said.
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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.
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