Question: I’ve been watching the national news, and there’s a lot of controversy about whether photo IDs should be required to vote. It did make me wonder what we have here in Hawaii. I’ve always had a picture ID and used it. They always ask for it, but I’m not sure whether it’s required or if it’s just a convenient way to establish your identify or to find whether you’re on the voting register. I see the Republicans are pushing for photo IDs, and Democrats are against it. What are the specific laws in Hawaii about showing photo IDs to vote?

Answer: Hawaii is one of seven states in which a photo ID is requested, but it is not a requirement to vote.

Poll workers are instructed to first request a photo ID to facilitate the verification process, and "the vast majority" of voters are able to produce one, said Rex Quidilla, spokesman for the state Office of Elections.

In rare cases where an individual doesn’t have a photo ID or other identification, poll workers are told to ask for verifying information, namely their birth date and residence address, he said.

There is no state law that would prohibit someone from voting for not having a photo ID.

In Hawaii, "effectively this is not an issue because most people do have ID," Quidilla said. "The goal is to allow people to vote … to have access to the political process."

However, House Bill 1359 was introduced during the 2011 legislative session, proposing to amend Section 11-136 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes to make a photo ID mandatory.

Currently the law says, "Every person shall provide identification if so requested by a precinct official."

The bill, introduced by Republican Reps. Gene Ward, George Fontaine, Barbara Marumoto and Kimberly Pine, would amend that to: "Every person shall provide identification to a precinct official. The precinct official shall use the identification provided to confirm the identity of the person signing the poll book. Identification provided to a precinct official shall contain a photograph of the person."

No action was taken last year, but the bill was carried over to this session. No hearings have been scheduled at last check.

Quidilla said the Elections Office "take(s) no position" on the bill.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures — tinyurl.com/7lszdvu — 31 states require voters to show ID before voting: eight states require a photo ID; seven ask voters to show a photo ID but allow other forms of verification; and 16 states ask for various forms of ID that don’t necessarily have photos, such as a bank statement or utility bill with a name and address.

Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have no voter ID requirement.

Question: Could you please let me know how to change your political party affiliation in the state of Hawaii?

Answer: Since Hawaii does not require registered voters to be affiliated with or to declare a political party before voting, there is nothing to change. Contact the political parties directly to either become a member or withdraw.

Article II, Section 4 of the state Constitution says, "Secrecy of voting shall be preserved; provided that no person shall be required to declare a party preference or nonpartisanship as a condition of voting in any primary or special primary election."

Voters are entitled to pick the ballot of any party or nonpartisan, regardless of which ballot they chose in any preceding primary or special primary election. Selecting a party’s ballot does not automatically make you a member of the party.

MAHALO

To the honest person who turned in my carry-on luggage to Hawaiian Airlines lost-and-found on Jan. 4, after it got left behind on the sidewalk. — Eleanor

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.