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The Battle for the Ballot
選票爭奪戰
By Vera Bergengruen
文/維拉·伯根魯恩
Voter-access laws may determine elections in 2020 and beyond
2020乃至之后的選舉將如何上演 答案或許就在選民準入法規里
The winner of the 2020 presidential election will depend not only on who votes but also on who doesn't.
2020年總統選舉究竟會花落誰家？答案不僅取決于誰投了票，還取決于誰沒有投票。
Four years after 77,744 ballots in three states gave the White House to Donald Trump,
四年前，三個州的77744張選票將唐納德·特朗普送進了白宮，
state lawmakers are battling over voting rules that will determine whether millions of Americans get a chance to cast a ballot in November.
四年后，由于事關數百萬美國人是否有機會在11月照常投票，州議員們就投票規則展開了激烈的討論。
So far this year, 29 states have introduced at least 188 bills to expand voting rights
今年以來，美國已有29個州提出至少188項擴大選舉權的法案，
by making registration and absentee voting easier, and by restoring the vote to former felons.
具體做法包括簡化選民登記及缺席投票的程序、恢復前重刑犯的投票權等。
At the same time, legislators in 15 mostly Republican states have introduced at least 35 bills that would make it harder to vote,
另一方面，無黨派機構布倫南正義中心的分析顯示，
according to an analysis by the non-partisan Brennan Center for Justice,
還有15個共和黨居多的州的立法人員提出了至少35項加大投票難度的法案，
often by imposing stricter voter-identification requirements.
具體辦法主要是提高對選民身份認證的要求。
Key Electoral College states like Florida and Virginia are among those still grappling with questions about ballot access.
其他一些州，包括佛羅里達、弗吉尼亞等選舉人團的關鍵州則在苦苦應付有關參選權的問題。
With the presidency and control of Congress on the line,
由于事關總統大位和國會控制權，
"This could make or break the election," says Paul Smith, vice president of the Campaign Legal Center.
用競選法律中心副總裁保羅·史密斯的話說就是，“選舉成敗在此一舉”。
In 2018, Florida voters approved an amendment to restore the vote to 1.4 million people with felony convictions,
2018年，佛羅里達州選民曾投票支持通過修正案，恢復140萬被判重罪的人的投票權，
a move celebrated by backers as the biggest voting-rights win in recent U.S. history.
在支持者們看來，這一舉措無異于美國近代史上推動投票權進程中取得的最大勝利。
But more than a year later,
然而，時間過去了一年多，
its implementation remains mired in partisan legal battles over the Florida supreme court's ruling
這一法案一直因黨派紛爭未能落地，原因在于佛羅里達州最高法院已經裁定，
that felons have to pay back all fines and fees related to their convictions before being granted the right to vote.
恢復重罪犯的投票權之前，重罪犯必須先償清所有與定罪有關的罰款和費用。
While a clause in the law allows those fees to be waived, it is mainly being used in Democratic-leaning counties.
盡管該法案中有一項條款規定允許免除有關費用，但到目前為止，應用這一法案的大多是偏民主黨的郡縣。
And as Florida's March 17 presidential primary gets closer,
佛羅里達州3月17日總統初選已經日益臨近，
local election officials say they still have not received guidance on how to handle ex-felons' registrations.
當地選舉官員卻表示，他們至今尚未收到如何處理重罪犯登記的指示。
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