美国有线新闻 CNN 佐治亚州新选举法备受争议 两党意见分歧（在线收听）

The U.S. state of Georgia has just passed a significant new law concerning elections.

美国佐治亚州刚刚通过了一项有关选举的重要新法律。

It's making news not only because it affects how voting is handled in the "Peach State"

这之所以成为新闻，不仅是因为其会影响“桃州”（指佐治亚州）的投票方式，

but because several other states are looking at passing similar laws

而且因为其他几个州正在考虑通过类似的法律，

and many of these changes are opposed by the Biden Administration.

但其中许多修改都遭到了拜登政府的反对。

Here's what's new in Georgia.

下面来介绍一下佐治亚州的新法律。

Early voting will be expanded in most places meaning people will have more days and longer hours when they can vote in person.

大多数地区将扩大提前投票的范围，这意味着人们可以有更长的时间亲自到场投票。

For runoff elections when a second vote is held because no candidate clearly won the first,

如果因为没有候选人明确赢得第一轮选举而举行第二轮决选，

these will be shortened from nine weeks to four weeks.

投票时间将从九周缩短到四周。

For absentee ballots, when people don't vote in person,

至于缺席投票，即人们不亲自到场投票的情况，

voters will be required to show a form of identification like a driver's license or state ID number when they request or turn in an absentee ballot.

新法规定选民在申请进行或提交缺席投票时，将被要求出示驾驶执照或州身份证号码等身份证明。

And they'll have to request these ballots and send them back sooner as well.

他们必须申请获得这些选票，并尽快寄回。

The new law also says that within a certain distance of a polling place or voters standing in line,

新法律还规定，在投票站或排队选民的一定距离内，

it's illegal to display campaign material or to offer gifts, food or drinks to voters.

展示竞选材料或赠送选民礼物、食物或饮料是非法行为。

People who oppose this part of the law say it's wrong to prevent getting food or water to those who are waiting.

反对这部分法律的人表示，不应阻止等待投票的选民得到食物或水。

Supporters of the rule say handouts to voters can unfairly influence whom they vote for.

这项规定的支持者认为，向选民发放物品会不公平地影响他们的投票。

There's a partisan divide in general over voting changes like these.

投票规则变更通常存在党派分歧。

Republicans generally support them saying they're needed to protect the fairness of elections

共和党人普遍支持这些变更，他们认为需要保护选举的公平性，

and prevent voter fraud especially when it comes to mailed in ballots.

防止选举舞弊，尤其是涉及邮寄选票时。

Democrats generally oppose these changes saying they make it harder for people to vote and that they unfairly target voters who traditionally support Democrats.

民主党人普遍反对这些改变，他们认为这些改变使人们更难投票，而且不公平地针对传统上支持民主党的选民。

U.S. President Joe Biden says he'll do everything he can to stop similar efforts to change voting laws.

美国总统乔·拜登表示，他将尽一切努力阻止改变投票法的类似举动。

Last November, he became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win in Georgia since 1992

去年11月，拜登成为1992年以来第一位在佐治亚州获胜的民主党总统候选人，

and two Democrats won U.S. Senate seats in Georgia's runoff elections in January.

而且两名民主党人在1月举行的佐治亚州决选中赢得了美国参议院席位。

Bills to tighten up voting access have been introduced recently in more than 40 U.S. states.

美国40多个州最近出台了加强投票权的法案。

What remains to be seen is how many of these states will pass new election laws and whether the Federal government will set new national rules.

至于有多少州将通过新的选举法，以及联邦政府是否将制定新的国家规则，仍有待观察。