在美国总统大选之夜，许多美国人熬夜到很晚以确定谁当选总统。原因何在？大多数地区使用电子投票机和计算机来统计选票。对于电子投票，通常会在大选之夜或第二天一早就公布选举结果。
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, and a move to mail-in ballots, it is likely that Americans will not know who won the presidency on election night. If that happens, some people are worried that U.S. President Donald Trump may not accept the results.
由于新冠病毒大流行以及采用邮寄投票的方式，美国人在大选之夜可能无法获悉谁赢得了总统宝座。如果发生这种情况，一些人担心川普总统可能不会接受选举结果。
Days of counting ahead
统计需要数天
Some state election officials recently warned that it may take days to count all the ballots that arrive in the mail. They must be mailed by Election Day, Tuesday, November 3. If the election is as close as it was in 2016, that delay may prevent news organizations from calling a winner.
一些州选举官员最近警告称，可能需要数天时间才能统计出所有邮寄的选票。这些选票必须在11月3日（周二）的大选之日前寄出。如果这次选举跟2016年一样势均力敌，那么统计延误可能会让新闻机构无法确定赢家。
Jocelyn Benson is Secretary of State in Michigan and a member of the state's Democratic Party. She said, "It may be several days before we know the outcome of the election. We have to prepare for that now and accept that reality."
乔斯林·本森（Jocelyn Benson）是密歇根州的州务卿，也是该州的民主党人。她说：“可能我们需要好几天才能知道选举结果。我们现在必须为此做好准备，并接受这一现实。”
Ohio's secretary of state, Frank LaRose, is a Republican. He has urged the public to be patient. "We've gotten accustomed to this idea that by the middle of the evening of election night, we're going to know all the results," LaRose said. He warned, "Election night reporting may take a little longer" this year.
俄亥俄州的州务卿弗兰克·拉罗斯（Frank LaRose）是共和党人。他敦促公众保持耐心。拉罗斯说：“我们已经习惯了这种印象，在选举之夜半夜前，我们将会知道所有结果。”他警告说，“今年的选举之夜报道可能需要更长一点的时间”。
A few states already hold elections largely by mail. There, delayed results are common. But the results of a presidential election have not been in dispute since 2000. That year, problems with ballots in Florida led to weeks of chaos and legal appeals.
少数州已经主要通过邮寄举行选举。在这些州，选举结果延迟公布很是常见。但是自2000年以来，总统大选的结果一直没有争议。2000那年，佛罗里达州的选票问题导致了数周的混乱和法律上诉。
Some election observers and Democrats worry about what may happen this year, as the president criticizes mail-in voting. Trump is a Republican. He has claimed without evidence that widespread mail balloting will lead to a "rigged" election.
由于总统批评邮寄投票，一些选举观察员和民主党人担心今年可能有事发生。川普是共和党人。他在没有证据的前提下宣称大范围邮寄投票会导致选举被操纵。
"It's very problematic," said Rick Hasen, a law professor with the University of California-Irvine. "There is already so much anxiety about this election because of the high levels of polarization and misinformation," he added.
加州大学欧文分校的法学教授里克·哈森表示：“这很有问题。”他还表示：“由于高度的两极分化和误传，这次选举已经引发了极大的焦虑。”
Hasen is among the experts who have been studying how the pandemic may cause problems for the U.S. electoral system. He recently gathered a group of academics from both political parties to suggest ways to avoid having a disputed election. Some members have thought about possible events like state legislatures or governors refusing to seat electors, or a candidate refusing to admit defeat.
哈森是一直在研究大流行可能会如何给美国选举系统造成问题的专家之一。最近，他召集了来自两党的一群学者，提出如何避免发生争议的建议。一些成员考虑到了可能发生的事情，例如州议会或州长拒绝让选举人团入座，或者某位总统候选人拒绝接受败选。
Millions more ballots
多统计数百万张选票
Since the pandemic began, many Americans have been looking for a safer alternative to in-person voting. Voters requested large numbers of mail-in ballots for presidential primary elections this spring. The state of Maryland will hold an entirely vote-by-mail primary on June 2.
自大流行开始以来，很多美国人一直在寻求一种比现场投票更为安全的选择。选民要求在今年春天的总统初选中大量进行邮寄投票。马里兰州将于6月2日举行一次完全通过电子邮件进行的初选。
Election officials from both parties have supported calls for mail-in and absentee voting. Many states expect to be struggling to process millions more mail-in ballots than they usually do in November.
两党的选举官员都支持邮寄和缺席投票的呼吁。很多州预计会比往年11月多处理数百万张邮寄选票。
Each state has its own rules for accepting and counting mail-in ballots. In some areas, mail-in ballots can be accepted several days after Election Day. But they must be stamped with a postmark before voting stations close.
每个州都有各自接受和统计邮寄选票的规定。某些地区可以接受大选日几天之后的选票。但是这些选票必在投票站关闭前盖上邮戳。
Some states count mail-in ballots as they come in, but others — like Michigan and Pennsylvania — have laws that bar processing such ballots until Election Day. That means the count will extend well into the next day.
一些州在收到邮寄选票时就会统计，但是其它州（例如密歇根州和宾夕法尼亚州）禁止在大选日之前处理这类选票。这意味着统计将会延续到第二天。
Another thing that could delay the count is that Democrats are pushing to require states to accept mail-in ballots postmarked on Election Day. Democrats have taken legal action, noting that the U.S. Supreme Court required it for Wisconsin's April 7 election. But, because of that requirement, Wisconsin did not release results from its election until April 13.
可能会延误统计的另一件事是民主党人正在督促各州接受在选举日当天盖上邮戳的选票。民主党人已经采取法律行动，并指出美国最高法院对威斯康辛州4月7日的选举已经做出这样的要求。但是，由于这一要求，威斯康辛州直到4月13日才公布选举结果。
Still, news organizations may try to predict a winner of the presidential election before the official vote count is completed. Those predictions are based on partial results, earlier elections and studies of likely voters. Without enough information, the broadcasters may not be able to call a winner on election night.
不过新闻机构可能会试图在正式计票完成前预测总统选举的获胜者。这些预测是基于部分结果、较早的选举以及对潜在选民的调查。如果没有足够多的信息，广播公司可能无法在选举之夜确定赢家。
I'm Jill Robbins.
我是吉尔·罗宾斯。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，禁止转载，违者必究！)