Question: Thanks for your Q&A on Tuesday (808ne.ws/4xBLGB2) regarding proposed charter amendments. I never heard anything about these! I don’t want to wait for my ballot to start researching. But I had so many questions, mostly related to increased costs associated with many amendments. Any suggestions on where to find more information?
Answer: The website for the Honolulu Charter Commission is a good place to start, where you can read each proposed amendment as it will appear on the Nov. 3 General Election ballot, plus a plain-language description of the present situation and what will change if Oahu voters ratify a particular proposal. The website also has testimony submitted about each proposal, and says who suggested the change. We couldn’t find a single source outlining all the financial implications for taxpayers, but will continue to pursue that part of your question. Read more on the commission website, 808ne.ws/3UccCsy.
We’d also suggest that you contact your elected representative on the Honolulu City Council for more information, including about whether they support or oppose any given proposal.
You are one of several readers wanting more information about these proposals, which seek to change the City Charter, the municipal government’s foundational document, which voters can amend every 10 years. As Kokua Line said Tuesday, there will be 20 proposed charter amendments on the ballot, six of which have to do with special funds, where taxpayers’ money is earmarked with less legislative oversight. Among the others are ones that would limit Honolulu police in federal immigration enforcement; create an office focused on Native Hawaiians; establish an LGBTQIA+ commission; implement ranked- choice voting; establish an Office of Data; let permanent resident aliens serve on city boards; and ensure an elected city official who is impeached cannot be elected for two years afterward.
Q: Can I change my name on my passport online?
A: No. The process to change your name on your U.S. passport varies by situation, but none of the methods is wholly online, according to U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, which posts information about this at travel.state.gov. You can fill out the application online, but will need to print it out and submit it by mail or in person, depending on which form you’re using. Here are basic instructions from the website, where you can find more details:
If it’s been less than a year since both your passport was issued and your name legally changed: Mail in Form DS-5504, along with your most recent U.S. passport, a passport photo and an original or certified document showing your new name, such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order.
If it’s been more than a year since either your passport was issued or your name legally changed: You may be able to handle the process by mail, using Form DS-82, if you can submit a certified copy of your legal name change document and meet other requirements. If you are not eligible for mail processing, you may apply in person, using Form DS-11, if you have a valid ID in the name you are currently using. Page 2 of Form DS-11 asks whether you have ever been married or divorced, which are common reasons for name changes.
If you cannot verify your current name with a court order, divorce decree or marriage certificate, and your current name differs from the name on your document proving U.S. citizenship, you must also submit Form DS-60, according to the website. Form DS-60 is an affidavit completed by two people who have known the applicant by both names — the name on the passport they are replacing and the name they currently use. Such an applicant also must submit three certified or original public records showing they have used the new name for five years or more, it says.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 2-200, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
