Question: Regarding the ballot tracking, will I have to put in my Social Security number to be able to do that? That’s a security risk.
Answer: No, you would have to input your first name, last name, date of birth and ZIP code as it appears on your Hawaii voter registration to be able to use the electronic tracking system available for the primary election next month, which will be conducted by mail. You won’t have to track your ballot in order to vote. This is an optional service for voters who want to verify that the ballot they returned was received by the elections office in their county.
To answer another reader’s question about voter confidentiality: The BallotTrax system tracks the ballot envelope, not the ballot inside. “Your vote remains confidential through the entire ballot tracking process,” according to the system’s website, ballottrax.net.
Voters who want to use the tracking system can sign up there, which is a website separate from Hawaii’s voter registration site.
Q: When will we receive our ballots in the mail?
A: “Voters can expect their mail ballot packets at least 18 days prior to Election Day,” according to the Honolulu County Election Division website. The primary election is Aug. 13 and the general election is Nov. 8.
Q: I prefer to vote in person. Will that be possible?
A: Yes. Voter Service Centers at Honolulu Hale and Kapolei Hale will be open from Aug. 1-13, excluding Sundays. You can cast your ballot at either. The centers will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 13, according to the elections website.
Q: My father is going into a care home but we hope not permanently. Prior to this he has lived independently in his own home. He is worried about losing his home exemption. We are on the mainland but will be on Oahu soon to help him. What are the rules about this?
A: Honolulu County allows a homeowner to continue their home exemption while they are living in a care home, if the facility is licensed to operate in Hawaii and the home with the continuance is not rented, leased or sold while the homeowner is in the care home, according to the Real Property Division. The homeowner must file Form BFS-RP-P-3A by Sept. 30. You can download the form — Home Exemption Continuance-Relocation to Care Home or Facility Annual — at realpropertyhonolulu.com/forms.
Honolulu County’s home exemption lowers property tax bills for eligible owner-occupants by deducting either $100,000 or $140,000 from a property’s assessed value and taxing the homeowner on the balance. The larger exemption is for homeowners age 65 and older.
Q: Do the new car seat rules take effect right away?
A: Yes, Act 122 took effect June 27, the day Gov. David Ige signed it, according to the state Department of Transportation. The DOT summarized some main points:
>> A child under age 2 “must be properly restrained in a rear-facing car seat with harness.”
>> A child age 2 or older but younger than age 4 “must be properly restrained in a rear-facing or forward-facing car seat with harness.”
>> All children under 10 must be properly restrained regardless of number of seat belts in the vehicle.
Mahalo
On Saturday, I got a phone call from a Costco employee at the Ka Uka Boulevard store letting me know that someone had turned in my husband’s wallet! We are so grateful to this person who called and to the person who turned in the wallet. The topper was that all his cards were intact, as well as the small amount of cash! So very grateful for the honesty, integrity of both these people. Mahalo! — Grateful couple
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
