华盛顿 —— 一名美国法官于10月30日命令司法部停止威胁起诉不遵守特朗普政府有关涉嫌非公民投票要求的州和地方选举官员。
WASHINGTON – A US judge ordered the Justice Department on Oct 30 to stop threatening to prosecute state and local election officials who do not comply with the Trump administration’s demands related to voting by alleged non-citizens.
该裁决在美国中期选举前几天作出，中期选举将决定国会控制权，目前共和党在众议院和参议院均占据微弱多数。
The ruling comes days before the US midterm elections that will determine control of Congress, where Republicans currently hold narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate.
尽管几场关键竞选似乎势均力敌，但民调显示民主党有望夺取众议院控制权，并有合理机会获得参议院多数席位。
Although several key races appear closely contested, polls favour Democrats to take control of the House and give them a plausible chance of a Senate majority.
在中期选举前几个月，美国总统特朗普政府在选举监督方面采取了强硬手段，例如向各州索要选民登记数据，称需要更严格的措施以确保选举安全和公众对投票的信心。
In the months leading up to the midterms, US President Donald Trump’s administration has taken an aggressive approach to election oversight, such as pressing states for voter-registration data, saying stricter measures are needed to ensure election security and public confidence in the vote.
但美国地区法官特里娜·汤普森在针对选举工作人员工会及其他一些团体提起的诉讼中裁定，司法部在10月威胁起诉不配合特朗普政府选举相关举措的州和县官员，做法过火了。
But the Justice Department went too far in October when it threatened to prosecute state and county officials who do not cooperate with the Trump administration’s election-related initiatives, US District Judge Trina Thompson ruled in connection with a lawsuit brought by election workers’ unions and some other groups.
汤普森在临时限制令中写道：“因为公众有至高无上的利益，确保选举官员和工作人员能够依据联邦法律和选举程序开展工作，而正式选举日仅在几天之后，权衡利弊与公共利益均有利于原告。”司法部对该裁决暂无即时置评。
“Because the public has a paramount interest in ensuring that election officials and workers are able to carry out their work in accordance with federal law and election procedure, and the official day of the Elections is only a couple of days away, the balance of the equities and public interest weigh in Plaintiffs’ favour,” Thompson wrote in her temporary restraining order. The Justice Department had no immediate comment on the ruling.
包括政治专家以及民主党和一些共和党选举官员在内的批评人士，认为特朗普政府的举措属于联邦越权。一些选举官员告诉路透社，他们正在为中期选举可能出现的联邦干预做准备。
Critics, including political experts as well as Democratic and some Republican election officials, have viewed the Trump administration’s moves as federal overreach. Some election officials have told Reuters they were preparing for potential federal interference in the midterm elections.
汤普森由前总统乔·拜登任命，他命令特朗普政府不要要求地方选举官员根据特朗普政府一份所谓非公民选民名单，将选民从全州选民名单中移除、拒绝向特定选民发放选票，或将中期选举中投出的选票隔离开来。
Thompson, who was appointed by former president Joe Biden, ordered the Trump administration to refrain from demanding that local election officials remove voters from statewide rolls, refuse ballots to specific voters, or segregate ballots cast in the midterm elections, based on a Trump administration list of alleged non-citizen voters.
特朗普过去曾就选举发表虚假言论，包括不承认自己在2020年大选中落败。
Trump has made false claims related to elections in the past, including not acknowledging his defeat in the 2020 election.