美国国家公共电台 NPR--Candidates who deny the 2020 presidential election results are winning races

Candidates who deny the 2020 presidential election results are winning races

Transcript¹

NPR's Rachel Martin talks to professor Rick Hasen at UCLA School of Law about the election deniers who may be in positions that have a direct role in the vote certification process.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

So it's worth repeating - there is no evidence of widespread election fraud during the 2020 presidential election. Yet, as you just heard, candidates who deny the outcome are winning office in battleground states across the country, including Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. We have called up professor Rick Hasen at UCLA School of Law. He is director of UCLA's Safeguarding Democracy Project. Rick, thanks for being here.

RICK HASEN: Great to be with you.

MARTIN: What's your biggest concern about the current momentum² that election deniers seem to have right now?

HASEN: Well, I think it's kind of a double whammy that the country faces. And the first part, we're losing people who are skilled at running elections. Elections are really difficult to run. It requires great competence³. It requires experience. And No. 2, we're replacing those people in some cases - or we have the risk of replacing people - who either believe or say they believe that the last election was stolen. If that's true, not only might they be willing to do something to try to even the score, but even if they try to run elections fairly, are the rest of the people in the area going to believe that the elections are run fairly after they've embraced this false claim that the last election was stolen? And so it really can both hurt voter confidence and also hurt the actual administration of elections.

MARTIN: I mean, that - you just underscored what could be so damaging, right? There is this follow-on effect that when election deniers are put in these positions, the voters who did support those election officials aren't going to trust them. And trust is eroded⁴ on both sides. How do you recover from that?

HASEN: So it's really difficult. When you think about what makes a democracy work, it's what political scientists call loser's consent. It's the idea that, well, I wasn't happy that my side lost, but the election was fair and square, and I'll regroup and organize the next time.

MARTIN: Right.

HASEN: When people start losing confidence in the election process - and already, we've seen it in the Republican base, thanks to Trump⁵'s relentless⁶ claims that the last election was stolen - that could start spreading now to the left and to the center. And then you really don't have a working democracy when people don't trust election results. So we're in a very precarious⁷ place. And we've got to bolster⁸ those institutions and people that can help assure that our elections continue to be run fairly and are done with confidence.

MARTIN: And what does that look like? I mean, it's one thing to just keep raising awareness⁹ about the issue. But what you've outlined is a very precarious situation, when such a cross section of Americans across the political divide stop having faith in these institutions. So what can be done? I mean, we're looking down the pike at the November midterms.

HASEN: Right. And I think the really big target is 2024 because a lot of the people who are going to be chosen in the 2022 elections are the ones that are going to be running the 2024 elections. And that's where, if Donald Trump is running again, he could try to be making these claims and undermining confidence. So I think there's a number of things that could be done. No. 1, Congress can pass a law. There are now a group of bipartisan senators who are talking about not only fixing the Electoral Count Act, but putting in provisions that would - for example, if a governor tries to mess with the election results for president or state, that there's a judicial¹⁰ review of that to try to overturn that.

I think running elections fairly is important. Running elections transparently¹¹ so everyone can watch the process from the time people vote and recognizing that there are other actors that need to get involved, whether that's courts or nongovernmental organizations or just, you know - because our elections are so decentralized, everyone can be involved on the local level to at least observe what's going on. And so we have to be vigilant¹². Now's not the time to just throw up our hands and say, look; these people might win office. What are we going to do about it? There's stuff to do.

MARTIN: Well, should the federal government - I mean, you just outlined this issue. It's decentralized. Our electoral system is decentralized on purpose. Should the federal government have greater oversight¹³ of state and local elections?

HASEN: Well, you know, I think, in the long term, we could consider - and I've long believed - that we should be like most other advanced democracies and have national nonpartisan election administration. That's not happening anytime soon. So we need to think about the ways of having checks and balances. And the federal government does have a role to play. If Congress does pass legislation, that gives more court oversight. And also, I should point out that in every state, there is the ability to go to court to ensure that state courts are helping¹⁴ to enforce state law. So the judiciary is an important bulwark¹⁵ against attempts to deny election results and to try to manipulate them.

MARTIN: Professor Rick Hasen teaches at UCLA School of Law, where he is director of UCLA's Safeguarding Democracy Project. We so appreciate your time this morning. Thank you.

HASEN: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF THE SIX PARTS SEVEN'S "NIGHTLONG")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

3 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

4 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

6 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

7 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

8 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

9 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

10 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

11 transparently   

明亮地，显然地，易觉察地

参考例句：

• "Clearly plots,'said Jacques Three. "Transparently!" “显然是搞阴谋，”雅克三号说，“再清楚不过了。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• All design transparently, convenient for the file identification inside the bag. 全透明设计，方便袋内文件识别。

12 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

13 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

14 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

15 bulwark   

n.堡垒，保障，防御

参考例句：

• That country is a bulwark of freedom.那个国家是自由的堡垒。
• Law and morality are the bulwark of society.法律和道德是社会的防御工具。