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Did you know When Americans vote for president on election day in November, they don't actually vote directly for president!
你知道吗，当美国人在11月的选举日投票选举总统时，他们实际上并不直接投票给总统！
Instead, once a state's ballots are counted, electors are appointed to vote for president on behalf of the people of the state!
而是，一旦一个州的选票被清点完毕，被选出的选举人就被任命代表该州人民投票选举总统！
The electors from all over the country constitute the electoral college, which actually elects the president of the United States.
实际上是来自全国各地的选举人组成选举团，选举美国总统。
Confused? Well, you're not alone!
是不是感到很迷惑？嗯，你不是一个人！
How well do you know how the electoral college works?
你对选举团制度了解多少？
When you cast your vote in an American presidential election, your vote is actually for a slate of electors.
当你在美国总统选举中投票时，你的选票实际上是投给了一组选举人。
Before the election, each state political party chooses a slate of electors to vote for their party's candidate.
在选举之前，每个州的政党都会选出一批选举人投票给本党的候选人。
State governments determine the electoral slate that gets to represent the will of the people who voted.
州政府决定代表投票人民意愿的选举名单。
In most cases, electors are bound by state law to vote for the candidate they are pledged to on behalf of the voters.
在大多数情况下，选举人受州法律约束，必须投票给他们承诺代表选民去支持的候选人。
However, throughout American history there have been dozens of "faithless" electors who refused to vote for their pledged presidential candidate.
然而，纵观美国历史，有数十名“不忠诚”的选举人拒绝投票给他们承诺的总统候选人。
None of these faithless electors ever changed the outcome of an election, though.
不过，这些失信的选举人从来没有改变过选举的结果。
States get as many electors as they have senators and representatives, and the District of Columbia gets three.
各州有多少参议员和多少众议员就有多少选举人，哥伦比亚特区有三人。
Most of the states award their electoral votes on a "winner-take-all" basis, meaning that all of the state's electoral votes go to whoever wins that state's popular vote.
大多数州以“赢家通吃”的方式发放选举人票，在该州普选中获胜的人将获得该州的所有选举人票。
But Maine and Nebraska award their votes by congressional district and give two extra votes to the plurality winner or overall winner.
但缅因州和内布拉斯加州根据国会选区进行投票，获得多数票或总票数的人会获得额外的两票。
After the election, the electors cast their ballots for the president on the first Monday...Following the second Wednesday in December.
投票结束后，选举人在第一个星期一投票选举总统，接下来是12月的第二个星期三。
The votes are then officially counted on January 6th in a joint session of Congress.
投票结果将于1月6日在国会联席会议上正式计票。
The presidential candidate who receives at least 270 votes, out of a total of 538, is declared the president-elect by the sitting vice president, and the election finally ends!
在总共538张选票中，获得270张选票以上的总统候选人将被现任副总统宣布为当选总统，选举最终结束！
On the off chance that none of the presidential candidates receives 270 votes, a simple majority vote is conducted in the House of Representatives with each delegation casting only one vote for one of the top three running candidates.
为了避免任何总统候选人都得不到270张选票，众议院进行简单多数投票，每个代表团只投一票给前三名候选人中的一个。
This is how John Quincy Adams won the presidency.
这就是约翰·昆西·亚当斯赢得总统大选的原因。
Choosing the president is a complex process, but the electoral vote and the popular vote generally end up agreeing on the winning candidate.
选择总统是一个复杂的过程，但选举人票和普选通常最终会对获胜的候选人达成一致。
However, Rutherford B.Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, George W.Bush, and Donald Trump all won the electoral vote while losing the popular vote--in Donald Trump's case by nearly three million votes.
然而，拉瑟福德·伯查德·海斯、本杰明·哈里森、乔治·布什和唐纳德·特朗普都赢得了选举人票，却输掉了普选——唐纳德·特朗普以近300万票的优势输掉了普选。
These disagreements have led to calls for the electoral college process to be replaced by the popular vote.
这些分歧导致了人们呼吁用普选取代选举团制度。
Actually abolishing the electoral college, though, would take a constitutional amendment.
不过，真正废除选举团需要修改宪法。
So, until that happens, the electoral college and its unique process are here to stay.
所以，在此之前，选举团及其独特的程序将继续存在。
Despite its complexity, voting is one of the most important civic duties in America.
尽管投票很复杂，但它是美国最重要的公民义务之一。
"Every vote counts" isn't just a nifty slogan.
“每一张选票都很重要”不只是一句漂亮的口号。
It is the foundation of modern democracy.
它是现代民主的基础。
So, on election day, be sure to mark your ballot and make your voice heard!
所以，在选举日，一定要标记你的选票，让你的声音被听到！
