Question: I see that going forward voting will be done by mail. My concern is that after completing my vote the outside mailing envelope has my signature on it, which is visible to anyone handling the envelope. Can they have a separate mailing envelope which does not have my signature showing?

Answer: The ballot packet is expected to be the same type as has been used for years by Hawaii absentee voters who mailed in their ballots; there’s no indication that election officials plan to add an envelope to obscure the voter’s signature now that the whole state will be voting by mail. You may do so yourself, although you’d have to address the envelope and pay the postage. Another option: Return the standard-issue envelope in person.

Here’s the full response from Nedielyn Bueno, a spokeswoman for the state Elections Office:

“When a voter returns their voted ballot, they must sign the affirmation statement on the return ballot envelope. Election officials will match the signature on the envelope with the signature in the statewide voter registration system to confirm the voter’s identity. If the signature does not match the signature on file, the voter is notified by the County Elections Division and is given five business days after Election Day to remedy the issue. We understand that voters may have concerns about their signature being visible outside of the return envelope, therefore, they may place it into another envelope and mail it back to their County Elections Division. However, they will need to provide the proper postage when mailing back their ballot. Voters will also have the option to return their voted ballot at a voter service center or a ballot drop site within their county or to the County Elections Division.”

The standard ballot- return envelopes will be pre-addressed and postage- paid.

Q: I’ve used the Honolulu 311 app to report graffiti etc. in the neighborhood. It’s useful, but sometimes they seem to list problems as fixed when they aren’t. What’s going on?

A: We received similar complaints from others, including one reader who said she used the app to report potholes along Ward Avenue near Ala Moana Boulevard and another who reported illegal dumping near 1032 Kinau St. They recalled their submissions as being marked as closed or resolved, despite the problems persisting.

We followed up with the city and learned that the app does not reflect whether a job has been completed, only that it has been referred to the proper agency. The city has changed the app’s terminology to reflect that fact. Here’s the full response from Harold Nedd, a spokesman for the Department of Customer Services, which is known as CSD:

CSD “serves as the intake portal for city complaints via numerous means. City comments entered into the 311 app have been modified to clarify the purpose of the app. At this time, the 311 app is available only as a public reporting portal. Status reports and resolutions are not relayed back through the app. CSD will indicate that the issue has been referred to the correct department or agency for follow-up and response. Our messaging asks residents to allow a minimum of 10 business days for the appropriate department to research, take action and respond directly back to them using the contact information provided as appropriate. Final resolutions are not entered into the 311 system at this time, although that is the end goal.”

As mentioned in Sunday’s column (808ne.ws/128kline), the app is one method of reporting common problems such as potholes, graffiti and other concerns to the city.

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.