Question: My wife is unable to sign her name, so she passed on voting in the primary. But I just noticed that she can put a “mark” in the signature box as long as a witness signs. It specifically says that a power of attorney is not acceptable. My question is: What is a mark? An additional question: How does one know if the signature/mark is not accepted?
Answer: We turned to Scott Nago, Hawaii’s chief elections officer, for answers to your questions, which also apply to other voters whose disabilities prevent them from signing their ballot-return envelope. Although your wife missed her chance to vote in the primary election, she should be able to cast her ballot in the general election.
Question: What counts as an acceptable mark in the signature box on the ballot-return envelope?
Answer: “Voters unable to provide their full signature may sign their return envelope by making a distinctive mark or sign as a substitute, such as an ‘X’ or other symbols. What is critical is having a witness vouch that you were the person who made the mark in the place of a traditional signature and agree to be bound by it. The voter’s witness must provide their signature, address, and phone number.”
Q: Would the voter be informed if the ballot was not accepted (because of the mark, in this case)? If yes, how?
A: “Yes, as with any discrepancies that may arise during the signature verification process (e.g. missing signatures), if the County Elections Divisions have any questions about the signature, their offices will contact the voter directly to remedy the issue. Voters have up to five business days post- election to resolve the discrepancy in order for their ballot to be counted. We additionally encourage voters to sign up with our ballot notification service, BallotTrax, which allows voters to proactively follow the status of their voted ballot. Sign up for BallotTrax can be found at elections.hawaii.gov.”
Q: Can a disabled voter’s spouse be their witness and sign as the reader described?
A: “Yes, the voter can make a mark and the spouse can sign as a witness and provide the address of the witness on the envelope.”
Beyond the return envelope, people with disabilities can get help marking their own choices on the actual ballot, within limits.
“A voter who requires assistance to vote, by reason of disability, visual, hearing impairment, or inability to read or write, may request for assistance from a person of their choice other than their employer or agent of their employer or union,” according to the Office of Elections website, which explains that accessible methods of voting include voting at home with a paper ballot, voting at home with an accessible electronic ballot, or voting at a voter service center using an accessible ballot marking device called a Verity Touch Writer.
“If reviewing, marking, and returning your ballot poses a challenge, you can ask for help. You’re permitted to ask someone you feel comfortable with to help read through your ballot, mark your choices, and be your witness if you cannot sign the return envelope independently. Your employer or your union agent are prohibited from helping,” according to the Office of Elections’ accessibility brochure, which is available in multiple languages.
Learn more at 808ne.ws/ 3ZgzmbE or go to the Office of Elections homepage at elections.hawaii.gov/ and click on “Voter Accessibility” in the right-hand column.
Mahalo
I would like to applaud the Aug. 30th reader who thanked dog owners who leash their dogs, changing their Auwe to Mahalo. In this day and age, it’s so easy for people to react swiftly in anger first and reflect later (if at all). We all have places to go and things to do, and yes, I’m also guilty of stress- induced and self-centered actions. We need to remind ourselves to slow down, breathe, and think of how our actions affect others. Just because you CAN do something, it doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Mahalo to everyone who shares their Mahalo experiences on Kokua Line, as I read the column every day to see the Aloha Spirit continued to be shared. — J.M.
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