Kokua Line: Is ballot forwarded when voter moves?
Jan. 14—Question: My wife and I recently moved from Mililani to Waipahu. How do we update our voting registration?
Answer: Hawaii voters can update their registration online or by submitting a Voter Registration Application to their County Elections Division, according to the state Office of Elections. Registration must be updated when a voter changes their name, residence or mailing address. Hawaii conducts elections by mail, with primary and general election ballots sent to the address listed on a voter's registration. Ballots cannot be forwarded; a change of address form filed with the U.S. Postal Service "does not carry through to your voter registration," the elections office says on its website. So keep your voter registration up to date and maintain your right to vote.
Go to olvr.hawaii.gov/ to update your voter registration online. To access the online system, you'll need to input your Hawaii Driver License or Hawaii State ID number and the last four digits of your Social Security number.
If you'd rather use a paper application, you can download the form at 808ne.ws/vrform or pick up a copy at various locations such as public libraries, U.S. post offices, or your County Elections Division, which on Oahu is on the ground floor of Honolulu Hale at 530 S. King Street. This form is used for initial voter registration, as well as to update a voter's name, address or signature.
Another option is through the DMV. Although you don't need to get a new driver's license after moving within Hawaii, you do need to tell the DMV your new address for its records. Honolulu's Department of Customer Services says to file a Notice of Change of Address (Form CS-L(DL)89) within 30 days of moving. This form, 808ne.ws/coaform, says people registered to vote in Hawaii also can use it to update their voter registration record. Submission instructions are on the form.
Likewise, when Hawaii registered voters initially obtain or renew a Hawaii driver's license or state ID, the information they provide is automatically used to update their name and/or address on their voter registration, unless they decline that option.
Although you live on Oahu, we'll also use this opportunity to remind Maui voters displaced by the wildfires to update their voter registration, to ensure that they receive their ballots in the mail for the 2024 primary and general elections, which are Aug. 10 and Nov. 5, respectively. Thousands of Maui residents no longer live where they did during the last election cycle and some have moved multiple times since the fire. Maui County election officials have assured Maui residents that they are happy to assist with each new update, no matter how many times the voter has had to move.
Maui voters can update their registration online at olvr.hawaii.gov/, which is available to voters statewide, or submit their updated Voter Registration Application to the Maui County Elections Division at 200 S. High St. in Wailuku.
For more information, see elections.hawaii.gov/.
Q: Can I pay my Oahu property tax bill at a satellite city hall without an appointment?
A: Yes, but only during the set collection periods of Jan. 20 to Feb. 20 and July 20 to Aug. 20, according to Honolulu's Department of Customer Services.
Auwe and mahalo
Mahalo to the rental company that provides those cute baby-blue, eco-friendly bikes for riders to get around town. But Auwe to the company for not providing trash receptacles at each of its bike stations. When riders return the bikes, some dump their litter on the bare ground there, creating unsightly messes! — E.M.K., Kapahulu
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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.
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