美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump's Election Calls Attention To Electoral College And Small Federal Agency

Trump¹'s Election Calls Attention To Electoral College And Small Federal Agency  

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We're going to talk now about the Electoral College. Many people, particularly Hillary Clinton supporters, are asking questions about it after this election. Clinton won the popular vote in the presidential race by more than 2 million votes, but Donald Trump is the president-elect because he won an electoral majority. Now, the Electoral College is not a place. It's a process. As NPR's Brian Naylor reports, it's run out of a small federal agency in Washington, one that's been getting an earful from voters since the election.

BRIAN NAYLOR, BYLINE³: You remember those "Schoolhouse Rock!" segments on TV? They did a little video to try to explain the concept of the Electoral College.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I'M GONNA SEND YOUR VOTE TO COLLEGE")

JACK⁴ SHELDON: (Singing) No classes, no professors, no tuition, yet we're the goal of every politician.

SHELDON AND UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (Singing) 'Cause everyone who graduates becomes a president.

NAYLOR: Oliver Potts knows this refrain well.

OLIVER POTTS: A common misconception is that it is a place or an entity⁵ or organization. It's a process. And we are not the Electoral College. Nobody is.

NAYLOR: Potts runs the Office of the Federal Register. That's the agency best known for publishing all of the federal regulations and other policies, what Potts calls the daily business of the federal government. And thanks to a reorganization after the Second World War, the Federal Register also became the custodian⁶ of the Electoral College. Potts says his office is essentially⁷ the institutional memory of the College.

POTTS: We keep current with the process. Basically, what I mean by that is we remember what it is and we remind the states because there are often changes between elections in state officeholders and so forth⁸.

NAYLOR: If you voted on Election Day, you actually chose an elector for president. On December 19, those electors will go to their respective state capitals and cast their ballots⁹ for president. The Federal Register makes sure everything is in order - first, that the electors are eligible¹⁰, and once they've voted that the paperwork has been signed and properly sealed before sending it on to Congress. Potts says a lot of people think the Federal Register can somehow affect the outcome of the election. He says his office has been getting calls, letters and some 2,000 emails.

POTTS: Some of them are very long and they have a lot of emotion in them.

NAYLOR: He reads me one from a Trump supporter.

POTTS: Here's an excerpt¹¹. (Reading) The Democrats¹² are now trying to abolish the electoral process, have votes recounted and change your minds. I am begging you for the sake of my children to not bring about that change. You made the correct choice in electing Donald Trump to begin with, and you need to stick by what has been done. We do not need more corruption¹³ in our government.

NAYLOR: Potts says each email is answered by someone in his office. To that writer, they explain the Federal Register's role and the background of the Electoral College.

POTTS: Here's a short one. (Reading) Please vote your conscience. Donald Trump is not for the American people.

So there, again, we would explain that we're not the Electoral College and we're not actually voting.

NAYLOR: Potts says the Federal Register is pleased to have the Electoral College as part of its responsibility, even if a lot of people don't quite understand how it works and why there are no classes. Brian Naylor, NPR News, Washington.

1 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。

2 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

5 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

6 custodian   

n.保管人，监护人；公共建筑看守

参考例句：

• Benitez believes his custodian is among the top five in world football.贝尼特斯坚信他的门将是当今足坛最出色的五人之一。
• When his father died his uncle became his legal custodian.他父亲死后，他叔叔成了他的法定监护人。

7 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

8 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

9 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

11 excerpt   

n.摘录，选录，节录

参考例句：

• This is an excerpt from a novel.这是一部小说的摘录。
• Can you excerpt something from the newspaper? 你能从报纸上选录些东西吗？

12 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。