令人心动的offer（美国大选版）大结局：特朗普锁定2024年总统选举胜局

Election Day in the United States of America is the Tuesday following the first Monday in November.It can fall on or between November 2 and November 8. It is the day when popular ballots are held to select public officials. These include national, state, and local government representatives at all levels up to the president.

*ballot:['bælət]（无记名）投票选举；投票表决the system of voting in writing and usually in secret; an occasion on which a vote is held

The chairperson is chosen by secret ballot.

主席是通过无记名投票选举产生的。

*美国的大选日是11月第一个星期一之后的星期二，日期落在11月2日至11月8日之间（包括这两天）。这一天会举行普选，选举各级公共官员，包括国家、州以及地方政府代表，直至总统。    

Is Election Day a Public Holiday?

Election Day 2024 is a state holiday in 12 states and an observance in 39 states.

*observance:（对法律、习俗的）遵守，奉行；（节日的）庆祝the practice of obeying a law, celebrating a festival or behaving according to a particular custom

What Do People Do?

On Election Day, citizens of the United States of America can vote by popular ballot for candidates for public offices at local, state, and national levels. In even-numbered years, federal elections are held, while in years divisible by four, presidential elections are held. Elections for local and state officials may be held in odd- or even-numbered years, depending on local and state laws.

*在大选日，美国的公民可以通过普选为地方、州和国家各级公共职位的候选人投票。在偶数年份会举行联邦选举，而在能被4整除的年份会举行总统选举。地方和州级官员的选举可能在奇数或偶数年份举行，这取决于地方和州的法律。

The way in which people vote depends on the state in which they live. In Oregon, all votes are cast by post and all votes have to be received at a given time on Election Day. In the state of Washington, nearly all people vote by post and the envelopes containing the voting papers have to be postmarked with the date of Election Day. In other states, people vote at voting stations, where long queues can form.    

*人们的投票方式取决于他们居住的州。在俄勒冈州，所有选票都以邮寄方式投出，并且所有选票必须在大选日的规定时间内收到。在华盛顿州，几乎所有选民都通过邮寄投票，装有投票文件的信封必须在大选日当天邮戳寄出。在其他州，人们在投票站投票，那里可能会排起长队。

Background

In 1792, a law was passed allowing each of the states to conduct presidential elections at any point in the 34 days before the first Wednesday in December. This was the date when the meetings of the Electors of the U.S. president and vice-president, known as the Electoral Colleges, were held in each state. A date in November or early December was preferable because the harvest would have been finished, but the most severe winter storms would not have begun.

*the Electoral Colleges:The Electoral College process consists of the selection of the electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress.

*1792年，通过了一项法律，允许各州在12月第一个星期三之前的34天内的任何时候举行总统选举。这是美国总统和副总统选举人（称为选举团）在各州举行会议的日子。将日期定在11月或12月初比较合适，因为那时农作物已经收割完毕，而最严重的冬季风暴尚未开始。    

As long distance communication improved and became quicker with the advent of trains and telegraphs, allowing each state to conduct its elections at any point in a period of more than a month became outdated. The results of the elections that were announced earliest could influence the outcomes of elections held later in the permitted period.

*advent:[ˈædvent]（重要事件、人物、发明等的）出现，到来the coming of an important event, person, invention, etc.

In 1845, the United States Congress chose a single date for all national elections in all states. The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November was chosen so that there would never be more than 34 days between Election Day and the first Wednesday in December. Election Day is held on a Tuesday so that voters will not have to vote or travel on Sunday. This was an important consideration at the time when the laws were written and is still so in some Christian communities in the United States.

On Inauguration Day, which is on January 20 every four years, the president and vice-president of the United States of America are sworn in and take office.    

*inauguration:[ɪˌnɔ:ɡjə'reɪʃn]总统就职典礼

*swear sb in:使某人宣誓就职；使某人宣誓终于某组织（often passive）to make sb promise to do a job correctly, to be loyal to an organization.