“我们毫不怀疑，本届政府会继续采取种种违法手段来打压选民。”由多位民主党州总检察长组成的联盟正致力于确保各政治派别的选民都能发出自己的声音。选举会产生深远影响，而特朗普政府为破坏选举所付出的种种努力同样会产生严重后果。
‘We don’t doubt the administration will continue its lawless blitz against voters.’A coalition of Democratic attorneys general is working to make sure voters across the spectrum have their voices heard Elections have consequences. So do the Trump administration’s exhaustive efforts to undermine them.
选民们虽然对自己做出的选择充满信心，但在行政机构层出不穷的干预措施面前，他们却难以确定自己的声音究竟能否被听见。为此，由民主党州总检察长们组成的联盟正努力确保所有政治立场的选民都能拥有发言权。
Voters will be confident in their choices, but less certain whose voice will count in the face of myriad intrusions by the executive branch. A coalition of Democratic attorneys general are working to make sure voters across the political spectrum have their say.
在华盛顿州、加利福尼亚州、马萨诸塞州和内华达州总检察长的带领下，24个州联合提起诉讼，旨在阻止特朗普政府通过美国邮政局来干扰邮寄投票。上个月，最高法院维持了下级法院的裁决，暂时阻止了政府这一违宪行径，至少在本届选举期间如此。
Led by the attorneys general of Washington, California, Massachusetts, and Nevada, 24 states sued to block President Trump’s US Postal Service plot to interfere with voting by mail. Last month, the supreme court upheld our lower court victories and blocked the administration’s unconstitutional power grab, at least for this election.
法律规定，由各州自行决定谁有权获得邮寄选票。美国邮政局从未拥有最终决定权；据美国邮政工人联合会称，在其250年的历史上，今年之前邮政局也从未试图对可投递的邮件施加如此随意的限制。
The law says states decide who receives a mail ballot. The USPS has never had the final say and, according to the American Postal Workers Union, until this year had never in its 250-year history tried to put such arbitrary restrictions on what mail it will deliver.
我们提起的诉讼在各州都取得了重要胜利，对华盛顿州而言意义尤为重大——该州超过99%的选民都选择邮寄投票。科罗拉多州、夏威夷州和俄勒冈州的邮寄投票率同样居高不下。不过，邮寄投票并不仅限于民主党占优势的州；在那些农村人口众多的共和党主导州，如内布拉斯加州和南北达科他州，这一方式也得到广泛使用。事实上，特朗普本人也倾向于通过邮寄方式投票。
The case we brought was an important victory in every state, and particularly Washington, where more than 99% of voters cast their ballot by mail. States such as Colorado, Hawaii, and Oregon have similarly high mail voting rates. But mail voting is not confined to blue states; it is widely used in red states as well, particularly those like Nebraska and the Dakotas, with large rural populations. It’s also the president’s preferred way to cast his own ballot.
邮政局事件只是联邦政府多方面攻击行动的一个缩影，各州正合力予以抵制。作为前联邦检察官，我亲身参与过维护选举安全与保障投票权利的工作；如今，本届政府却抛弃了联邦政府在这方面的传统职责。
The case of the postal service is just part of the multi-pronged federal attack states are pushing back against. The administration has abandoned the federal government’s traditional role of supporting election security and defending voting rights, work I participated in first-hand as a US attorney.
回想2020年，特朗普自己的政府——尤其是网络安全与基础设施安全局——曾致力于保护投票过程、捍卫选举的公正性。当时，试图滥用司法部权力的图谋遭到挫败，特朗普转而依靠叛乱分子来执行其命令。许多尽职尽责的公职人员在特朗普重新执政后被解雇，而那些犯下叛乱罪的人却获得了赦免。
Recall, in 2020, Trump’s own administration – and particularly the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency – worked to protect the vote and defend the election. Then, efforts to misuse the Department of Justice were thwarted, and Trump relied on insurrectionists to do his bidding. In return for serving honorably, many public servants were sent packing upon Trump’s return to office, and the convicted insurrectionists were pardoned.
如今，美国司法部副检察长竟将邮政部门试图剥夺数百万合格选民投票权的举动称作只是“适度”行使联邦权力而已。
Now we have a US solicitor general who described the postal service’s attempt to deprive the rights of millions of eligible voters as only a “modest” use of federal authority.
特朗普政府向来以行事鲁莽、缺乏连贯性著称。该政府一方面在法庭上声称要维护选举公正，另一方面总统却公开鼓动支持者在中期选举中“拼命作弊”。我想，无论是共和党选民还是民主党选民，都不希望看到这种情况发生。
The Trump administration is not known for its discretion or consistency. While the administration was in court purportedly concerned about election integrity, the president publicly demanded his supporters “cheat like hell” in midterm voting. I don’t think Republican voters want that any more than Democrats do.
我们毫不怀疑，该政府会继续采取种种违法手段来打压选民。各州的民主党总检察长早已严阵以待，他们发起了美国现代史上规模最大的跨州行动，旨在保护选民权利。
We don’t doubt the administration will continue its lawless blitz against voters. Democratic state attorneys general are prepared, and have undertaken the largest multistate effort to protect the vote in modern American history.
近期的裁决确保了各州选举的正常进行，也证明法律站在我们这一边。倘若特朗普试图恐吓或阻止合格选民投票，或是阻挠计票与选举结果认证工作，各州民主党总检察长必将迅速采取行动。各州在应对私人势力实施的此类威胁方面拥有数十年经验，即便这种行径是由联邦政府所为，同样属于违法行为。
Recent rulings keep state elections on track and show the law is on our side. If Trump attempts to intimidate or discourage eligible voters, or to obstruct the counting of votes or certification of the election, Democratic state attorneys general will take swift action. States have decades of experience countering these threats when lodged by private actors, and they are just as illegal when attempted by the federal government.
选民们也能尽一份力：行使自己选举代表的权利。总统的种种阴谋诡计正是利用了公众的疑虑与不安。民主制度赖以存续的基础就是民众的参与，每一位合格选民都应当拥有对所选代表作出评判的机会。
Voters can do their part by exercising the right to elect their representatives. The president’s scheming benefits from public doubt and uncertainty. Democracy depends on the participation of its citizens, and every eligible voter should have the opportunity to render a verdict on their elected representatives.
这一裁决很可能不会对特朗普总统有利。他竞选时的承诺是降低物价、维护和平及确保经济稳定，但结果却是物价飞涨、关键公共服务遭到削弱、他本人大肆谋取私利，还挑起了一场看不到终点的、破坏全球稳定的战争。
That verdict is unlikely to favor President Trump, who ran on lowering costs, preserving peace, and economic stability, but instead delivered higher prices, hollowed out critical public services, engaged in unprecedented self-dealing, and began a globally destabilizing war with no end in sight.
总统无权决定选举结果。各州总检察长以及我们所代表的数百万合格选民将行使宪法赋予的权力，确保这一原则得以贯彻。尼克·布朗是华盛顿州总检察长。
Presidents don’t decide elections. State attorneys general and the millions of eligible voters we represent will exercise our constitutional powers to help keep it that way. Nick Brown is the attorney general of the state of Washington