术语

Absentee voting 缺席投票

Absentee voting allows voters who cannot come to polling places a means to cast a ballot. A variety of circumstances, including residency abroad, illness, travel or military service, could prevent voters from coming to the polls on Election Day. Absentee ballots permit registered voters to mail in their votes. The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, a federal law, governs absentee voting in presidential elections. Absentee voting rules for all other elections are set by the states, and vary. In Oregon, all elections are conducted by mail, but voters have the option of voting in person at county polling stations.

缺席投票为不能够到投票站投票的选民提供了一种投票方法。各种各样的情况（包括居住在国外、疾病、旅行或服兵役）都可能阻止选民在选举日来投票。缺席投票允许登记选民通过电子邮件投票。《服役及海外公民缺席投票法案》（一个联邦法律）对总统选举的缺席投票进行规范。所有其它选举的缺席投票规则由各州制定，各不相同。在俄勒冈州，所有选举通过邮件进行，但选民可以选择到县投票站亲自投票。

Ballot initiative 公民投票

Ballot initiatives are an example of direct democracy in the United States, in which citizens may propose legislative measures or amendments to state constitutions. Some initiatives propose the repeal of existing state laws. States vary in the number of signatures they require to place an initiative on the ballot. These initiatives (also called "propositions" in some states) are subject to approval, by a simple majority in most, but not all cases. See also Referendum.

公民投票是美国直接民主的一个例子，其中公民可建议立法措施或修订州宪法。一些倡议建议废除现有的州法律。州的数目随着要求在投票上倡议的签字数目变化。这些举措（在有些州也称为“建议”）在大多数情况下须经简单多数批准，但并非所有情况都如此。又见全民投票。

Blog 博客

Short for weblog, a blog is an unedited online journal. Candidates use blogs to tell users of their Web sites about their activities. Others use blogs to follow the development of campaign issues or events. Political blogs are created by “bloggers,” individuals who post commentary and news from their own perspective. Political blogs, like blogs in general, reflect a broad spectrum of opinion.

网络日志的简写，博客是未经检查的网上杂志。候选人使用博客把自己的活动告诉浏览自己的网页的人。其它人使用博客跟踪竞选议题或事件的发展。政治博客由“博客”（从自己的观点出发发表评论或新闻）创建。像一般的博客一样，政治博客也反映广泛的意见。

Blue state 蓝州

Blue state is a term used to refer to a U.S. state where the majority of voters usually support Democratic candidates. See also Red state.

蓝州指大多数选民通常支持民主党候选人的美国州。见红州。

Buckley v. Valeo 巴克利诉瓦莱奥案

The legal challenge Buckley v. Valeo resulted in a landmark 1976 U.S. Supreme Court decision on campaign finance law that upheld the Federal Election Campaign Act's financial disclosure requirements, contribution limits and provision for public funding of presidential election campaigns. The court struck down spending limits in the law, except for the limits accepted voluntarily by presidential candidates who receive public funds. Thus, the ruling allowed for unlimited spending by congressional candidates (they do not receive public funds) and by persons or groups who campaign for or against a candidate, but who do not coordinate their activities with any candidate or campaign. The ruling also said that candidates who do not receive public money do not have to limit campaign spending of their own personal funds. See also McCain-Feingold Law.

1976年美国最高法院就竞选财务法对巴克利诉瓦莱奥案所作的裁决具有里程碑似的重大意义，它肯定了联邦竞选法(Federal Election Campaign Act)关于资金公开、捐款限额、以及公款资助总统竞选的规定，但废除了该法关于费用开支的限制，接受公共资助的总统候选人自愿承受的限制不在此限。因此，对国会议员候选人(他们不接受公共资助)，及在竞选中支持或反对某候选人的个人或组织，同时其活动不与任何候选人及竞选运动协调一致，该项裁决都允许其费用不加限制。该裁决同时确认凡不接受公共资金的候选人均可无限制地将其个人资金投入竞选活动。参见《麦凯恩 - 法因戈尔德法案》。

Caucus 核心会议

A caucus is a meeting at the local level in which registered members of a political party in a city, town or county gather to express support for a candidate. For statewide or national offices, those recommendations are combined to determine the state party nominee. The term also is applied to a group of party members that meets to plan policy. Two well-known examples of such groups are the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, whose members discuss and advance the interests of their respective constituencies.

核心会议是地方级会议，其中一个市、镇或县政党的登记会员集体表示支持某个候选人。对于州或全国公职，结合这些推荐确定州政党提名者。这个词也适用于符合计划政策的党员小组。此类小组中两个著名的例子是“国会黑人核心小组”和“国会拉美裔小组”，其成员讨论并推动各自选区的利益。

Challenger 挑战者

A challenger is a candidate running against a person who currently holds the position (the incumbent). See also Incumbent.

挑战者是指和目前担任职务的某个人（现任）竞选的候选人。参见现任。

Closed primary 封闭式预选

Candidates from the two major political parties (Democratic and Republican) compete to be their party’s nominee for an office in a primary election. Closed primaries are restricted to voters registered as a member of the party holding the election. Unaffiliated voters receive ballots for other measures and nonpartisan contests that occur on the same date. See also Primary.

在预选中两个主要政党（民主党和共和党）的候选人为成为某一公职的提名者在党内竞争。封闭式预选只限于作为党员登记的选民举行选举。无党派选民可通过其它措施向在同一日期发生的无党派竞选投票。参见预选。

Coattails 燕尾提举力

The expression “coattails” is an allusion to the rear panels ("tails") of a man's coat. In American politics, it refers to the ability of a popular officeholder or candidate for office, on the strength of his or her own popularity, to increase the chances for victory of other candidates of the same political party. This candidate is said to carry others to victory on his or her coattails.

“燕尾提举力”是一个典故，指男礼服大衣的后摆（ “尾巴” ）。在美国政治中，它指公职人员或公职候选人利用其个人声望，帮助同党其他候选人，增加取胜机会的能力。这名候选人就被称为用“他或她的燕尾”携带其他人走向胜利。

Convention 代表大会

In presidential election years, after the conclusion of state primaries and caucuses, the political parties gather to select a presidential nominee – usually the candidate who secured the support of the most convention delegates, based on victories in primary elections. The presidential nominee usually chooses a running mate to be the candidate for vice president, but the presidential nominee can throw open the vice presidential selection process to the convention delegates without making a recommendation.

在总统大选年，州预选和核心会议结束后，各政党聚集在一起，选举一个总统提名者 - 通常情况下是支持最多数的大会代表、基于预选胜利的候选人。总统提名者通常选择竞选伙伴成为副总统候选人，但总统提名者可以向大会代表开放副总统选举过程，无须提出建议。

Convention bounce 会后反弹

An increase in a presidential candidate's popularity, as indicated by public-opinion polls, in the days immediately following his or her nomination for office at the Republican or Democratic national conventions.

指共和党或民主党全国代表大会决定总统候选人提名后的几天内，民意调查表明该候选人声望上升的情况。

Constituency 选民

The people a government official represents make up his or her constituency. The term is sometimes is used to refer only to those individuals who voted to elect the official. The president's constituency is composed of all Americans; a mayor's constituency is the people who reside in the town or city.

组成政府官员他或她的选民。该词有时只用于指那些投票选举官员的个体。总统的选民由所有的美国人组成;市长的选民是居住在该镇或市的人。

Debate 辩论

A structured discussion involving two or more opposing sides of an issue is a debate. In American politics in recent years, debates have come to be associated with televised programs at which candidates present their own and their party's views, in response to questions from the media or members of the audience. Debates also may be held via radio, the Internet or at a community meeting place. They can be held among those who seek elective office at all levels of government.

就一个问题的两个或两个以上矛盾面所进行的辩论。在美国政治中，近年来辩论与电视节目挂钩，即候选人阐述其本人及该党的观点，回答媒体或观众提出的问题。辩论也可通过无线电、互联网或在社区集会场所进行。各级政府公职人员的选举均可进行辩论。

Divided government 分治的政府

A situation in which the U.S. president is a member of one political party and at least one chamber of Congress (either the Senate or the House of Representatives) is controlled by the opposite party is called a divided government. This situation also can exist at the state level, with one party controlling the governorship and another controlling the state legislature. Divided government occurs frequently in the U.S. political system.

“分治的政府”指总统属于一个政党，而国会至少有一院（或者参议院或者众议院）由反对党控制的政治局面。此种情况也可能发生在州一级，即州长属于一个党，而另一党控制州议会。在美国政府制度中，常出现两党分治。

Election Assistance Commission 选举协助委员会

Established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002, the Election Assistance Commission serves primarily as a national clearinghouse and resource for information on elections. It also reviews federal election administration and procedures.

根据2002年《帮助美国投票法案》成立，选举协助委员会主要作为选举信息全国交换中心和资源。它也审查联邦选举的管理和程序。

Electoral College 选举团制度

The president and vice president are selected through the electoral college system, which gives each state the same number of electoral votes as it has members of Congress. The District of Columbia also gets three electoral votes. Of the total 538 votes, a candidate for president must receive 270 to win.

总统和副总统通过选举团制度选举产生，这个制度规定给每个州和其在国会议员同样数目的选举人票。哥伦比亚特区获得3张选举人票。在538张总选票中，一个总统候选人必须获得270票才能获胜。

Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) 联邦竞选法（FECA）

The 1971 law that governs the financing of federal elections, the Federal Election Campaign was amended in 1974, 1976 and 1979. The act requires candidates and political committees to disclose the sources of their funding and how they spend their money; it regulates the contributions received and expenditures made during federal election campaigns; and it governs the public funding of presidential elections.

这项1971年制定的法律规定了联邦选举的财务事项，曾于1974、1976及1979三度修订。该法要求候选人及政治委员会公开资金来源及开支情况，同时规定联邦大选期间接受捐款及开支款项事宜。该法并对用公共资金资助总统竞选作出了规定。

Federal Election Commission (FEC) 联邦选举委员会

The Federal Election Commission is an independent regulatory agency charged with administering and enforcing federal campaign finance law. The FEC consists of six commissioners appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. The FEC was established by the 1974 amendment of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.

联邦选举委员会是一个独立的监管机构，负责管理和执行联邦竞选财务法。联邦选举委员会包括在参议院建议和同意的情况下由总统任命的六名委员。联邦选举委员会根据 1974年通过的《1971年联邦竞选法》成立。

Front-loading 前期吃重

The practice of scheduling state party caucuses and state primary elections earlier and earlier in advance of the general election is called front-loading. By moving their primaries to early dates, states hope to lend decisive momentum to one or two presidential candidates and thus have disproportionate influence on each party's nomination. "Rear-loading" refers to the intense activity at the end of the yearlong cycle -- just prior to the election -- which includes a series of nationally televised debates, a flurry of television ads and extensive campaign travel on the part of the presidential candidates.

前期吃重是指大选中州党员核心会议和州预选会议的日程安排越来越靠前的做法。通过提前其预选日期，各州希望使一位或两位总统候选人获得决定性的声势，从而对各党的总统提名产生超过该洲实际影响力的声势。“后期吃重”是指整一年结束时密集的活动 – 刚好在大选前 - 包括一系列全国电视辩论、电视广告和总统候选人的大量竞选旅行。

Front runner 领先者

A candidate in any election or nomination process who is considered most popular or most likely to win is called the front runner.

任何选举或提名进程中最受欢迎或最有可能获胜的候选人，称为“领先者”。

Political Gridlock 政治僵局

In politics, when one side (or, in some cases, more than one side) in a political matter manages to stall things so there is no room for maneuver or compromise and nothing can be accomplished, the situation is described as gridlock.

在政治上，当一方（或在某些情况下一方以上）在某个政治事件中设法让事情停滞不前，没有回转或妥协的余地，什么事也办不成，这种情况被描述为僵局。

Hard money/Soft money 硬钱/软钱

Hard money and soft money are terms used to differentiate between campaign funding that is, and is not, regulated under federal campaign finance law. Hard money describes donations by individuals and groups made directly to political candidates running for federal office. Such contributions are restricted by law. Soft money refers to donations not regulated by law that can be spent only on civic activities such as voter-registration drives, party-building activities, administrative costs and in support of state and local candidates. “Soft money” contributions, by law, may not be used to support directly a candidate for federal office. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2003 upheld congressional restrictions passed in 2002 on soft money contributions. See also McCain-Feingold Law.

硬钱/软钱这两个名词用来区分受与不受联邦竞选财务法律约束的竞选资金。硬钱是指由个体或团体直接向竞选联邦职务的后选人提供捐助。此项捐助受法律约束。软钱是指不受法律规定约束的捐助，只可被用于市民活动，如动员选民登记、政党建设活动、行政管理费用以及用于支持州和地方候选人。根据法律，“软钱”捐助不可以用来直接支持竞选联邦职务的候选人。美国最高法院于2003年肯定了2002年通过的对软钱捐助的国会限制。见《麦凯恩 - 法因戈尔德法案》。

Hatch Act 哈奇法

The Hatch Act places restrictions on political activity by employees of the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, District of Columbia government, and state and local employees who work in connection with federally funded programs. Under the act, employees are permitted to contribute to a candidate's campaign, but are restricted from using official authority to influence an election, including soliciting or receiving political contributions, and engaging in political activity while on duty, which includes wearing political buttons. Employees may run for office in a nonpartisan election, such as many school board elections, but are prohibited from running in a partisan election.

哈奇法限制美国联邦政府分支行政部门、哥伦比亚特区政府以及州和地方工作的雇员（参与联邦政府筹资计划）的政治活动。根据该法案，允许雇员为某个候选人的竞选捐助，但限制利用官方权威影响选举，包括索取或接受政治捐款，在工作时从事政治活动 - 包括身穿政府制服。雇员可以通过无党派选举参与竞选职位，如许多学校董事会的选举活动，但禁止在一个党派内从事选举活动。

Help America Vote Act (HAVA) 帮助美国投票法案

Congress passed HAVA to address voting problems encountered in the 2000 presidential election. The act encourages state and local governments to eliminate punch-card and lever voting machines. Under HAVA, states have received $2.9 billion since 2003 to improve their elections processes. The law also established the Election Assistance Commission to provide support to the administration of federal elections, as well as election laws and programs.

在2000年的总统大选中国会通过了《帮助美国投票法案》解决遇到的投票问题。该法案鼓励州和地方政府除去穿孔卡和杠杆投票机。根据《帮助美国投票法案》，自2003年以来各州已收到29亿美元，用来改进他们的选举过程。该法还设立了选举协助委员会，向联邦选举管理以及选举的法律和程序提供支持。

Horse race 赛马

Used as a metaphor for an election campaign, "horse race" is used to describe a close contest and conveys the feeling of excitement that people experience when watching a sporting event.

对竞选活动的一种比喻， “赛马”是用来描述竞赛和传达观看体育赛事时人们的激动情绪。

Incumbent 现任

An individual currently holding a position is the incumbent. Historically, incumbents have enjoyed a better-than-average chance of being re-elected.

当前占据职位的个人称为“现任”。从历史上看，现任有着优于平均水平的重新当选的机会。

Independent 无党派者

A candidate or voter not affiliated with a particular political party is termed an independent.

候选人或选民不隶属于某一政党，称为无党派者。

Lame duck 跛脚鸭

The term lame duck refers to an elected official who has lost an election, or soon will be leaving office, during the period between the election and the date a successor will take over. Such an individual is in a weakened position politically due to the impending expiration of his or her term.

“跛脚鸭”指的是失去过一次选举，或很快将离任的被选举官员，他在选举和继任者将接管的日期之间的这段时间里任职。这样的人政治地位薄弱，因为他或她的任期将满。

Landslide 压倒性胜利

A victory in which one candidate's votes far surpass those of other candidates is called a landslide.

指一场胜利，一名候选人的票数远远超过其它候选人的现象被称为“压倒性胜利”。

Matching funds or public funding 对等资金或公共资助

Public money can be given to presidential candidates that "matches" funds they have raised privately from individuals. Contributions from individuals in which the aggregate amount contributed by the individual is $250 or less are eligible to be matched on a dollar- for-dollar basis from the Presidential Election Campaign Fund. This fund includes proceeds from the voluntary check-off of $3 per person from income tax returns of eligible taxpayers. See also Taxpayer check-off system.

指总统选候人所得的公共资金，该款与来自私人赞助的资金相“对等”。在个人捐助中，上限为250美元的资金可以作为对等资金（在美元对美元的基础上从总统选举竞选基金拨款）。此项资金包括来自合格的纳税人的所得税申报表每个人自愿扣除的3美元。参见《纳税人指定扣除所得税款办法》。

McCain-Feingold Law 麦凯恩 - 法因戈尔德法案

Formally titled the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, the McCain-Feingold Law is named after its two chief Senate sponsors, John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, and Russell Feingold, a Democrat from Wisconsin, who sought to remove "soft money" as an influence on candidates running for federal office. The law eliminated “loopholes” (or legislative oversights) that in the past allowed the use of soft money to aid candidates running for federal office. See also Hard money/Soft money.

正式名称为《两党竞选改革法案》，《麦凯恩 - 法因戈尔德法》是根据两个主要参议院发起人（亚利桑那州的共和党人麦凯恩和威斯康星州的民主党人罗素 . 法因戈尔德）命名的，他们试图消除“软钱”对候选人竞选联邦职务的影响。该法取消了在过去允许使用软钱帮助候选人竞选联邦职务的“漏洞”（或立法疏漏）。参见硬钱/软钱。

Negative ads 负面广告

Negative advertisements that try to persuade voters to choose a candidate by making the opposing candidate look bad, by attacking either the opponent's character or record on the issues.

负面广告是指试图通过毁坏对手形象、攻击对方人品或者在某些问题上的表现，说服选民选举某候选人。

Nominee 被提名者

A person selected by others for election to office is the nominee. Nominees may be selected in primary elections or caucuses. When only one candidate from a party has filed to run for a political office, that candidate becomes the party’s nominee without any further selection process.

在选举活动中被其它人选举任职的人称为被提名人。被提名人可以在预选或核心会议上选举。当一个政党只有一名候选人申请竞选政治职位，则无须进一步的选举，该候选人直接成为该党的提名者。

Open primary 开放式预选

An open primary is one in which all registered voters may vote, regardless of whether they are registered as Democrats, Republicans or Independents. See also Primary.

在开放式预选中所有登记选民可投票，不论他们是登记为民主党人、共和党人还是无党派人士。参见预选。

Platform 政纲

In the context of U.S. presidential politics, platform refers to a political party's formal written statement of its principles and goals, put together and issued during the presidential nomination process and subject to approval affirmed during the party’s national political convention.
就美国总统竞选政治而言，政纲是指总统提名进程中，一个政党集辑并发表其原则和目标的正式书面声明。需经该党全国政治会议的批准。

Plurality 简单多数

A plurality is one method of identifying the winning candidate in an election. A plurality occurs when the votes received by a candidate are greater than those received by any opponent but can be less than a majority of the total vote. For example, if one candidate receives 30 percent of the votes, a second candidate also receives 30 percent and a third receives 40 percent, the third candidate could win the election by a plurality of the votes.

简单多数是美国大选中确定获胜候选人的方式之一。简单多数票指的是，一个候选人获得的选票票数多于任何对手、但可能没有超过总票数的多数。例如，如果一位候选人赢得30%的选票，另一位候选人也赢得30%选票，第三位候选人赢得40%选票，那么，第三位候选人就赢得了简单多数票，成为获胜者。

Political Action Committee (PAC) 政治行动委员会

PACs are political committees not related directly to a political party, but rather affiliated with corporations, labor unions or other organizations. The committees contribute money to candidates and engage in other election-related activities so as to promote specific legislative agendas. Funds are gathered by voluntary contributions from members, employees or shareholders. PACs have increased significantly in influence and number in recent years: in 1976, there were 608 PACs, and in 2006, there are about 4,600.

政治行动委员会和政党没有直接关系，而是隶属于公司、工会或其他组织。它们向候选人捐款并从事其他与竞选有关的活动，以便推动具体的立法议程。资金通过会员、雇员或股东自愿捐助。近年来，政治行动委员会的数目和影响显着增加：在1976年有608个政治行动委员会，在2006年有4600个。

Poll/Polling 民意调查

A public opinion poll is created when a polling firm contacts a sample group of randomly selected citizens and asks a series of standard questions. If executed properly, the poll’s data reflect the range of opinions and the portion of the population that holds them in a manner representative of the full population. Public opinion polls provide an idea of what many Americans think about various candidates and issues. See also Push polling.

民意调查是指民意调查公司接触一组随机挑选的公民，并询问一系列的标准问题。如果进行得当，民意调查数据反映各种意见和以代表全部人群的方式持有相同意见的部分人群。民意调查也反映了许多美国人对各候选人和论题的思考。参见导向性民意调查。

Primary 预选，初选

A state-level election in which voters choose a candidate affiliated with a political party to run against a candidate who is affiliated with another political party in a later, general election. A primary may be either "open" -- allowing any registered voter in a state to vote for a candidate to represent a political party, or "closed" -- allowing only registered voters who belong to a particular political party to vote for a candidate from that party. See also Closed primary and Open primary.

为州一级选举，选民选举某个政党的候选人在以后的大选中赢取另一政党的候选人。预选既可以是“开放式”的 – 允许一个州的任何登记选民为代表一个政党的候选人投票，又可以是“封闭式”的 - 只允许属于某一政党的登记选民为那个政党的候选人投票。又见闭式预选和开放式预选。

Proposition 建议

See also Ballot initiative and Referendum.

参见公民投票和全民投票。

Protest vote 投抗议票

A vote for a third-party candidate made, not to elect that candidate, but to indicate displeasure with the candidates of the two major political parties.

指对第三党候选人投的票，其目的不在于使该候选人当选，而是为了表示对两大政党候选人均不满意。

Public funding 公共资助

See Matching funds.

见对等资金

Push polling 导向性民意调查

A public-opinion polling technique that is used to test possible campaign themes by asking very specific questions about an issue or a candidate is call push polling. See also Poll/Polling.

民意调查中使用的一种技巧，就某个问题或某个候选人通过询问非常具体的问题来测试可能的竞选主题，是谓“导向性民意调查”。参见民意调查。

Redistricting 选区重划

The process of redrawing the geographic boundaries of congressional districts, the electoral districts within states from which members of the House of Representatives are elected, is called redistricting. Both Democrats and Republicans at the state level compete to get hold of the legal and political mechanisms of redistricting -- usually by controlling the state legislature. By doing so, they can redraw boundaries of congressional districts in ways that will lend an electoral advantage to their own party.

重新划分国会选区 (选举众议员成员的各州选区) 的地理界线的过程称为选区重划。民主党和共和党都力争把握州政府重新划分选区的法律和政治机制 - 通常是通过对州立法机构的控制。
通过这样做，控制州立法机构的政党可以重新划定国会选区的边界，有助于加强自己政党的得票实力。

Red state 红州

Red state refers to a U.S. state where the majority of voters support Republican candidates. See also blue state.

红州是指大多数选民支持共和党候选人的美国州。参见“蓝州”。

Referendum 全民投票

A measure referred to voters by a state legislature proposing that specific legislation be approved or rejected is a referendum. The terms referendum, proposition and ballot initiative frequently are used interchangeably.

是指通过州立法机关建议具体立法得到批准或否决而进行的选民投票，称为“全民投票”。“全民投票”、“建议”和“公民投票”常常互换使用。

Single-member district 单一席位选区

Single-member district describes the current arrangement for electing national and state legislators in the United States in which one candidate is elected in each legislative district; the winner is the candidate with the most votes. The "single-member" system allows only one party to win in any given district. Under the proportional system popular in Europe, much larger districts are used and several members are elected at one time, based on the proportion of votes their parties receive.

单一席位选区指目前美国选举国家或州议员时每个选区有一个议员名额，竞选中获简单多数票的候选人当选。“单一席位”制意味着，在任何一个特定选区只能有一个政党获胜。在“比例代表制”盛行的欧洲，大多数大选区使用这种制度，每个选区有数名代表，在同一次选举中按各政党的得票比例产生。

Soft money 软钱

See Hard money/soft money.

见硬钱/软钱

Sound bite 话语片段

A sound bite is a brief, very quotable remark by a candidate for office that is repeated on radio and television news programs.

话语片段是指在电台和电视台的新闻节目中反复播放的候选人说过的有代表性的只言片语。

Spin doctor 旋转博士

A media adviser or political consultant employed by a campaign to ensure that a candidate receives the best possible publicity in any given situation is called a spin doctor. When these media advisers practice their craft, they are said to be "spinning" or putting "spin" on a situation or event to present it as favorably as possible to their side.

受雇于一家竞选的媒体顾问或政治顾问，旨在保证候选人在任何特定情况下尽可能获得最佳宣传，这样的人被称为“旋转博士”。当这些媒体顾问在实践自己的“技艺”时，就说他们是在“旋转”或让情况或事件尽可能“旋转”向他们一边。

Straw poll/vote 意向性投票

An unofficial vote that is used either to predict the outcome of an official vote, or to measure the relative strength of candidates for office in a future election is called straw poll or straw vote. A good showing in a straw vote can give a candidate a boost, but does not necessarily predict later success.

一种非官方投票，用来预测正式投票结果，或用来衡量在未来选举中的官员候选人的相对力量，是谓“意向性投票”。意向性投票率高对候选人有助推作用，但并不一定表明最后一定成功。

Swing voters 摇摆不定的选民

Voters not loyal to a particular political party sometimes can determine the outcome of an election by "swinging" one way or the other on an issue or candidate, often reversing their choices in a subsequent election.

有时不忠于某一特定政党的选民可以决定选举结果，由于在某个问题或候选人上“摇摆不定”，往往是在后来的选举中他们的选择会颠倒过来。

Super Tuesday 超级星期二

Widespread use of the phrase "Super Tuesday" dates from 1988, when a group of Southern states banded together to hold the first large and effective regional group of primaries in order to boost the importance of Southern states in the presidential nomination process and lessen the impact of early votes in the New Hampshire primary and Iowa caucus. Today, the meaning of the phrase is blurred, a reflection of the fact thatm during the presidential primary seasonm there may be several groups of state primaries in various regions falling on one or more Tuesdays. These groupings are important because the weight of such a large, simultaneous vote tends to make or break would-be presidential nominees since so many convention delegates are selected at once.

该词从1988年以来被广泛使用。当时美国南部几个州同时举行候选人预选，这是第一次大规模有实效的区域集体行动，旨在制造声势，表明南部各州在总统提名进程上的重要性，以抵消早些时候在新罕布什尔（New Hampshire）预选和艾奥瓦（Iowa）核心会议所产生的影响。如今，其意义已经模糊了，这反映一个事实：在预选期间，可能各个不同区域会有若干个州的预选在同一个星期二或几个不同的星期二举行。这种集体行动有其重要性，因为这样大规模同时进行的投票活动会影响提名者成功与否，既然如此众多的全国代表大会的代表一下子同时产生了。

Super-Duper Tuesday 超超级星期二

A phrased coined for the 2008 election, when many states, in an attempt to have more influence on the outcome of the race, have moved their primaries or caucuses to earlier in the year. This resulted in at least 20 states choosing to hold their primaries or caucuses on Tuesday, February 5, 2008, giving that day the name “Super-Duper Tuesday.”

为2008年大选创造的新词，企图对竞选结果有更多影响力的许多州已将预选或核心会议提前到今年年初。这导致至少20个州选择在2008年2月5日星期二举行预选或核心会议，使得这一天被称为“超超级星期二”。
Taxpayer check-off system 纳税人指定扣除所得税款办法

The taxpayer check-off system allows U.S. taxpayers to contribute $3 of their annual federal income tax payment to a public fund for financing presidential elections. To contribute, taxpayers simply check a box on their tax return that says that they want to participate in this system. Making the contribution does not raise or lower an individual's taxes; it simply deposits $3 of the tax payment into the presidential election campaign fund. See also Matching funds.

纳税人合格制度指美国纳税人可自愿将其支付的年度联邦所得税中指定扣除3美元作为资助总统竞选的公共资金。纳税人只需在其纳税申报单的一个栏目里划个勾就可表明同意参加捐助。参加此项捐助对个人所交的税款不增不减，只是从其所交税款中扣去3美元移作总统竞选基金。参见对等资金。

Term limits 任期限制

Term limits involve restricting the number of years an officeholder or lawmaker may serve in a particular office. There is a term limit for the U.S. president, who may serve no more than two consecutive terms, or eight years total. There are no term limits for those who serve in the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives. Some state and local offices also are subject to terms limits.

任期限制包括限制官员或立法者在某一特定办公室担任职务的年限。美国总统有任期限制，总统不可以连续任职超过两届（八年）。美国参议院或众议院任职的议员没有任期限制。一些州和地方官员也受辖于任期限制。

Third party 第三党

Any political party that is not one of the two parties that dominated U.S. politics in the 20th century -- the Republican Party and the Democratic Party -- and that receives a base of support and plays a role in influencing the outcome of an election is referred to as a third party.

不属于二十世纪统治美国政治的两个政党之一 - 共和党和民主党 – 有一定的支持基础，对选举结果有影响的任何政党，被成为“第三党”。

Ticket splitting 选票分散

Voting for candidates of different political parties in the same election, for instance, voting for a Democrat for president and a Republican for senator, is called splitting the ticket. Because these voters support candidates from more than one political party, they are said to "split" their votes.

指在同一次选举中为不同政治党派的候选人投票，例如，对总统候选人投民主党的票，但对参议员候选人却投共和党的票。由于这些选民支持的候选人不止来自一个政党，因此说他们把他们的投票“分散”了。

Town meeting 村镇居民会议

A town meeting is an informal gathering of an officeholder or candidate for office with a group of people, often local, in which the audience raises questions directly to the officeholder or candidate.

村镇居民会议是指公职人员或公职候选人通常与当地市民举行的非正式聚会，会上听众可直接向公职或候选人提问。

Tracking survey 跟踪调查

A type of public-opinion poll that allows candidates to follow, or "track" voters' sentiments over the course of a campaign is called a tracking survey. For the initial survey, the pollster interviews the same number of voters on three consecutive nights -- for example, 400 voters a night, for a total sample of 1,200 people. On the fourth night, the pollster interviews 400 more voters, adds their responses to the poll data, and drops the responses from the first night. Continuing in this way, the sample rolls along at a constant 1,200 responses drawn from the previous three nights. Over time, the campaign can analyze the data from the entire survey and observe the effect of certain events on voters' attitudes. See also Poll/Polling.

民意测验的一种方式。这种调查使候选人在竞选活动进程中了解或“跟踪”选民情绪的变化，这就是所谓的“跟踪调查”。调查开始阶段用三个晚上连续对同等数目的选民进行访问，例如每晚400人，总数就是1200人。到了第四晚，调查者再询问400名选民，把他们的回答输入资料库，同时删去第一晚选民的反馈，如此循序增减便可始终保持最近三天1200人的反应。竞选整个进程中都可通过此项调查进行材料分析，观察到某些事项影响选民态度的情况。参见民意调查。

（由美国国务院国际信息局发布。网站： http://www.america.gov ）