尼古拉斯·里卡迪（NICHOLAS RICCARDI）报道：民主党全国委员会周四提起诉讼，指控唐纳德·特朗普总统的政府秘密更改了美国海外公民使用的明信片，此举增加了他们投票的难度。
NICHOLAS RICCARDI The Democratic National Committee on Thursday filed a lawsuit alleging that President Donald Trump’s administration secretly changed a postcard used by U.S. citizens overseas in a way that makes it harder to to vote.
诉讼称，国防部通过宣布进入紧急状态实施了这一更改，从而得以取消了表格上的一个特定选项框。该选项框通常供那些承认自己是美国公民但从未在美国居住过的潜在选民勾选。
The lawsuit contends that the Department of Defense made the change by declaring an emergency, which allowed it to eliminate a specific box on the form. That box is typically checked by potential voters who acknowledge they are U.S. citizens but who have never lived in the United States.
这些人通常是美国公民的子女，在拥有密切家庭联系的前提下，美国有38个州允许他们投票。自2013年以来，该选项框一直出现在寄给海外选民的明信片上。
They are usually the children of U.S. citizens, and 38 states allow them to cast ballots provided they have close family connections. Since 2013, the box has appeared on postcards sent to overseas voters.
共和党人已在多个州提起诉讼，试图阻止这些通常支持民主党的选民投票。周四提起的诉讼指出，政府在未给予适当通知的情况下擅自做出了这一更改。
Republicans have filed lawsuits in multiple states trying to prevent those voters , who typically support Democrats, from casting ballots. Thursday’s lawsuit contends that the administration simply made the change on its own without giving proper notice.
诉讼书写道：“这些美国公民缴纳美国联邦和州税，但现在一项实施多年的计划最终演变成一场人为制造的‘紧急状态’，以此为借口阻碍他们在美国选举中的投票权，并可能完全剥夺他们的选举权。”负责管理该表格的国防部未立即回应置评请求。
“These American citizens pay U.S. federal and state taxes, but now a years-old plan has culminated in a manufactured ‘emergency’ to justify impeding their right to vote in American elections and potentially disenfranchising them entirely,” the lawsuit states. The Department of Defense, which administers the form, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
据估计，2016年从未在美国居住过但参与了美国投票的海外美国人约为11,500人。诉讼称，这一数字很可能已经增加。
The number of Americans overseas who have never lived in the United States yet cast ballots in the country was estimated at about 11,500 in 2016. The lawsuit contends the number has likely grown.
其中一些人已经登记，并将在11月收到选票。其他人则可以选择勾选其他选项框，声明自己是打算返回美国或不打算返回美国的公民，以便获取选票。
Some are alreadyed and are due to receive ballots for November. Others can opt to check other boxes saying they’re citizens who either intend to return to the U.S. or do not intend to return in order to receive ballots.
此举紧随国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯敦促军人集体投票之后，他暗示如果所有军人都投票，其票数可能超过底特律等民主党占优的选区。允许海外驻军投票的同一联邦法律也要求，为居住在海外平民提供同样的投票机会。
The move follows Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth urging members of the military to cast ballots en masse, implying they could out-vote Democratic jurisdictions, such as Detroit, if they all cast ballots. The same federal law that lets members of the military who live overseas cast ballots also requires that civilians who live overseas be given the same opportunity.
然而，由于近年来海外倾向民主党的平民投票人数已超过倾向共和党的军人，共和党开始将矛头指向这项法律，即《统一制服和海外公民缺席投票法》（UOCAVA）。共和党曾赢得一场诉讼，禁止从未在北卡罗来纳州居住过的海外公民在该州投票，但尚未在其他州（包括摇摆州密歇根州）的诉讼中取得成功。
But as Democratic-leaning civilians overseas have out-voted Republican-leaning members of the military in recent years, the GOP has started to target the law , known as the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, or UOCAVA. Republicans were able to win a court case forbidding the votes of overseas citizens who have never lived in North Carolina from being counted there, but have not yet succeeded in lawsuits in other states, including swing state Michigan .
苏珊·德济乌什卡-苏伊纳特是居住在慕尼黑的美国公民，她28岁的女儿也是美国公民，虽从未在美国居住，但定期参与投票。她表示，政府此举令人担忧。
Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat is a U.S. citizen in Munich whose 28-year-old daughter also is a U.S. citizen who has never resided in the country but votes regularly. She said the administration’s move was alarming.
德济乌什卡-苏伊纳特是美国投票基金会主席，她说：“如果这种削减选民群体的做法奏效，那就等着看下一次紧急状态吧。”美联社驻华盛顿记者康斯坦丁·托罗平对本报道亦有贡献。
“If this works in slicing off a piece of the electorate,” said Dzieduszycka-Suinat, who is president of the U.S. Vote Foundation, “wait until the next emergency.” ___ Associated Press writer Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report.