1、Voters Voters and and Voting VotingName:American citizens generally register to vote at the local courthouse in their hometowns when they turn 18 years old.Some states require them to register their political affiliation,usually Democrat,Republican,or Independent.Citizens in some states can also reg
2、ister at libraries when they sign up for a lending card,at police stations when they get a drivers license,or by mail when they move outside the city,county,or state.美国公民一般年满十八周岁时,在他们家乡当地的法院进行注册投票。有些州要求他们登记他们的政治派别，通常是民主党，共和党，或者是独立的。一些州的公民也可以在登记处注册一个贷款卡，在警察局他们得到驾驶执照，或通过邮寄的方式当他们搬家搬出这个市，县或者州。voters Bec
3、ause Americans move a lot,they must often re-register in a new city or state.Once registered,Americans can vote in the many separate or combined elections to pick school board members,mayors,members of city councils,sheriffs,draft board members,judges,secretaries of state,lieutenant governors,govern
4、ors,highway commissioners,state legislators,US senators and representatives,and the President of the United States.由于美国人经常搬家，他们必须经常重新注册一个新的城市或州。一旦注册成功，美国人可以在许多独立或联合选举中投票去选举学校董事会成员，市长，市委员会成员，警长，征兵局成员，法官，国务卿，副州长，州长，高速公路委员，州议员，美国参议员和代表，以及美国总统。2004年11月2日，美国选民在弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿县一个投票站外排队等待参加大选投票。这是美国弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿县一个投票站
5、内的触摸屏投票机。2004年美国大选大约有三分之一的投票在这种电子触摸屏投票系统上进行。11月2日，美国选民在弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿县一个投票站内用电子触摸屏为大选投票。In the contemporary United States,the right to vote is a universal right,whereas in the past voting was viewed more as a privilege.In 1787,Constitution did not make a specific requirements,but decided by the states,sta
6、tes stipulated that white,male,and there is a certain amount of property citizens have the right to vote.In the1830s,most states abolished the restriction who own the property have the right to vote.在当代美国，投票权是一项普遍的权利，而在过去的投票被更多地视为一种特权。1787年宪法对选民资格没有做具体规定，而是由各州决定，各州则一般规定白人，男性，有一定数量财产的公民有选举权。19世纪30年代，
7、绝大部分州取消了把财产作为享有选举权的资格限制。After the Civil War,according to the 1870 Constitution,the restrictions of race and color was abolished，black men won the right to vote.In the 1920s,the womens movement rising,states relaxed restrictions of gender,women get the right to vote for the first time.In 1970,Constit
8、ution stipulated the conditions of voters:18 years old,lived in residence for 30 days,a U.S.citizen,a person who didnt be deprived the political power.At this point,the American people finally get the universal suffrage.南北战争之后，根据1870年宪法修正案，取消了种族，肤色的限制，黑人男性获得了选举权。20世纪20年代，妇女运动高涨，各州放宽了性别限制，妇女第一次取得了选举权
9、。1970年的选举权法案规定选民的条件是：年满18岁，在住所居住满30天，美国公民，没有依法被剥夺政治权利者。至此，美国人民终于基本上取得普选权。But in fact,because of the different state laws,there are still some restrictions,such as:There are six states require voters must own property;There are 12 states require beggars,the homeless can not be a voter;There are 19 st
10、ates require voters must have a certain education;most states have the restriction of residence,requiring stay a number of years in the state.但事实上，由于各州法律的不同，仍存在一些限制，如：有6个州规定选民必须拥有财产；有12个州规定乞丐，流浪者不能成为选民；有19个州规定选民必须有一定的文化程度；大部分州都有居住地限制，要求在本州居住一定年限.In addition to deciding on leaders,voters vote directl
11、y on the issues.Nearly half the states allow their citizens to vote for or against state laws and 49 states require a popular vote on any change in the states constitution.When state legislatures put a proposal to the peoples vote instead of deciding matters themselves the vote is called a referendu
12、m.除了决定领导人，选民直接投票的问题。将近一半的州允许他们的公民投票赞成或反对州的法律并且有49个州要求对在该州的宪法的一些变化上让民众投票。州立法机关只是向人民投票提供建议，而不是决定他们自己事，投票被称为公民投票。In addition to a legislatures power to call for a referendum,23 states allow the people to initiate a referendum from the grassroots level without going through a city council decision,state
13、 legislature,judicial ruling,or congressional procedure.Advocates for a new law often go door-to-door,collecting signatures on petitions.Once enough signatures are gathered from 1,000 to 60,000 according to jurisdiction the“initiative”is placed on the ballot.除了一个要求公民投票立法机关的权力外，有23个州允许人们开始从基层公投，不通过市议
14、会，州议会，司法裁决，或国会的程序。提倡一项经常逐户上门的新的法律，在请愿书上征集签名。一旦有足够的签名收集从1,000到60,000，按照司法权，主动权放置在选票上。In 1978,Californians initiated and voted to reduce property taxes by half,even though state politicians were firmly against it;in 1994,Californians stunned the nation by supporting Proposition 187 to deny medical ben
15、efits to illegal immigrants and their children.1978年，加利福利亚州人发起和投票使财产税减半，尽管国家政客们坚决反对;在1994，加利福利亚州人他们支持187号提案拒绝非法的移民和他们的孩子提供医疗福利震惊了全国。In 1996,20 states held referenda based upon citizens initiatives;the most prominent was California Proposition 209 to end Affirmative Action programs for minority stude
16、nts an action with which the US Supreme Court later agreed.While referenda based upon populist petitions are democratic,the peoples judgment and knowledge of issues might be better served by legislators and professional government employees.1996年，20个州举行基于公民倡议的公投;最突出的是加州209提案结束了为少数民族学生赞助性计划行动这一行动后来获得
17、美国最高法院同意。而基于民粹主义的请愿公投是民主的，通过立法者和专业的政府雇员,人们的判断和知识问题可能被得到更好的服务。In 2003,Californians voted to recall incumbent Governor Gray Davis and to replace him with Hollywood superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger in a muscular demonstration of direct democracy,Votes in eleven states approved of state constitutional am
18、endments banning gay marriage in 2004 and demonstrating popular support for traditional family constructions.2003年，加州投票罢免现任州长格雷戴维斯，取代他的是以肌肉著名的好莱坞巨星阿诺德施瓦辛格，直接民主支持。2004年在国家批准的11个州投票宪法修正案禁止同性婚姻，体现了对传统家庭结构的广泛支持。Additional concerns swarm around the question of who votes.In the 1830s,Alexis de Tocqueville
19、 wrote glowingly of American democracy:“In countries in which universal suffrage exists,the majority is never doubtful,because neither party can reasonably pretend to represent that portion of the community which has not voted”.Tocqueville could not have imagined that well over half of Americans wou
20、ld regularly abstain from casting their vote at the start of the twenty-first century.围绕着那些选票问题的额外关注蜂拥而上。在19世纪30年代，托克维尔在畅谈美国的民主中写道：“在存在普选的那些国家中，大部分是从来没有怀疑的，因为任何一方党派都可以合理地假装代表那些没有投票的社区的一部分”。托克维尔可能没有想到的是，在二十一世纪的开始已经有超过一半的美国人会定期从他们的选票中投弃权票。Americans have long agreed on the principle that all citizens h
21、ave the right to vote;but that in no way implies that Americans see voting as a duty.They rather see it as a freedom and an equal opportunity to do with as one wishes.Yet,does it really matter if Americans decide not to vote?The answer is hard to determine.Political scientists acknowledge that indiv
22、idual Americans and various organizations have many ways to participate in and make an impact upon political decisions without ever stepping into a voting booth.Some specialists even believe that voting is one of the least influential forms of political participation available to the people.美国人一直在原则上达成一致,即所有公民有选举权；但绝不意味着美国人把投票作为一种义务。他们宁愿把它看作是一个自由和平等的机会去做他们想做的。然而，如果美国人决定不投票那真的有关系吗？答案是很难确定。政治学家承认，个别美国人和各种组织有很多方式参与和影响政治决策而不必非要去投票。有专家甚至认为，投票是提供给人们政治参与中影响力最小的形式之一。
