简要了解美国初选制度

What U.S. state traditionally holds the first primary or caucus in a presidential election year?

按照传统，美国哪个州会在总统选举年举行首次初选或预选会议?

New Hampshire, Iowa, Washington, or Virginia?

新罕布什尔州、爱荷华州、华盛顿州还是弗吉尼亚州?

Every four years, Iowa usually holds the first caucus in the nation.

爱荷华州通常每四年会举行一次全国的首次预选会议。

Though this isn't a presidential election year in America, primaries have still been going on starting on the first Tuesday of this month and what they do is determine which candidates appear on the ballots this November.

虽然今年不是美国的总统选举年，但初选仍在本月的第一个星期二开始，初选的作用是决定哪些候选人将出现在今年11月的选票上。

It's a midterm election year.

今年是中期选举年。

Americans will be choosing all 435 voting members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

美国人将选出美国众议院的435名有投票权的议员。

They'll be deciding on 34 seats in the 100-member Senate.

他们将决定参议院100个席位中的34个席位。

They'll be picking governors in 36 states and a slew of politicians for state and local races will also be on the ballots in the midterm elections.

他们将在36个州选举州长，许多州和地方竞选的政客也将出现在中期选举的选票上。

In the primaries, voters can whittle down a list of candidates who are running.

在初选中，选民可以削减参选候选人的名单。

For example, if several Republicans or several Democrats are all trying to win the same seat, a primary in the spring can decide which one candidate from each party gets on the ballot in the fall.

例如，如果几名共和党人或几名民主党人都试图赢得同一个席位，春季的初选就可以决定两党中哪一位候选人可以在秋季参加投票。

There's a lot at stake in the midterms.

中期选举事关重大。

Control of Congress is one of the biggest headlines.

国会的控制权是最大的头条新闻之一。

So, the election season that's in full swing now will decide the House and Senate makeup until at least the next election in two years.

因此，现在正如火如荼进行的选举季将决定参众两院的组成，至少要等到两年后的下一次选举才会变化。