VOA常速英语:Far Fewer Federal Observers Will Keep an Eye on the Polls(翻译)

Following more than a week of sexual assault allegations leading to shrinking poll numbers,Donald Trump stepped up his claims that the American electoral process is rigged.

“The process is rigged, It’s a rigged election.”“It’s a rigged system, and they take these lies and they put them on front pages.”

His all-out assault on the electoral process brought condemnation from Republicans and Democrats alike,including the president of the United States.

“Every expert regardless of political party, regardless of ideology —conservative or liberal —who has ever examined these issues in a serious way will tell you that instances of significant voter fraud are not to be found.”

Voting rights experts agree the electoral process is not rigged,but caution there could be other problems.

This will be the first election without some of the protective provisions of the 1964 Voting Rights Act,which were struck down in a Supreme Court case three years ago, specifically, the Federal Election Observer program.

“This is now the first presidential election cycle in more than 50-plus years where the Justice Department will not have, around the country,federal observers who are specially trained individuals monitoring elections in some of the most vulnerable parts of our country.”

The Justice Department sent out more than 780 observers in 23 states for the 2012 election.This year, there will be observers in less than five states.Fourteen states will be enacting new restrictive voter laws.

With no federal observers to ensure laws are implemented correctly,civil rights organizations are setting up phone banks like this one for voters to call.

“Right now, we are monitoring for issues like purging of the voter registration rolls, eleventh-hour efforts to change polling locations without giving voters adequate notice of those problems,efforts to target and challenge voters’ eligibility to cast a ballot on Election Day.”

Most observers agree this election has been unusual,and that’ll extend to the voting process on Election day.