美国国家公共电台 NPR--Late changes to election laws mean Montana voters were sent inaccurate information

Late changes to election laws mean Montana voters were sent inaccurate¹ information

Transcript²

Montanans are able to register to vote on Election Day until 8 p.m., and IDs that don't include an address will be acceptable at the polls.

But an informational pamphlet for voters from the secretary of state says otherwise.

The inaccurate pamphlet sent to all registered voters in the state is a result of last-minute changes in election law.

The pamphlet includes information based on laws passed last year by Republicans eliminating same-day registration³ and tightening⁴ voter ID requirements. A district court judge struck down the laws late last month, saying they "severely⁵" restrict Montanans' right to vote and especially burden marginalized communities.

The pamphlets were printed and sent to voters to meet a legally required deadline — before the court issued its ruling blocking the laws.

The Montana Supreme⁶ Court had allowed the laws to stand for the state's June primary, meaning voters will now follow different rules for the general election.

Ronnie Jo Horse — executive director of Western Native Voice, one of the advocacy groups that sued the state over its new election laws — says she's concerned the pamphlets will sow confusion in rural Montana and on tribal⁷ reservations, where internet and cell service are spotty.

"The mail piece was so critical because that could have been [voters'] only interaction with the election, and the information is wrong," Horse said.

The snafu underscores how voting policies can change at the last minute with little time to educate voters. Montana was one of many states that passed restrictive new voting laws after the 2020 election — several of which have been challenged in court.

Horse said she hopes Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen distributes corrected pamphlets; the state hasn't yet commented on whether it will.

Horse says rural voters already face barriers to participating in elections, like long drives to the polls. "Just a few more hurdles⁸, I think, would deter⁹ people from voting," she said.

There is precedent¹⁰ for correcting voter pamphlets. In October 2018, then-Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton spent more than $265,000 to print and mail out an addendum¹¹ to a voter pamphlet that included formatting¹² errors.

Connor Fitzpatrick — elections supervisor¹³ in Lewis and Clark County, which includes the capital Helena — says his office is spreading the word about the changes on its website and social media pages, and by training election workers.

"By keeping all of those avenues open, we can hopefully get as many people in the know about that rule set we're using as possible," he said.

Fitzpatrick says his office has been preparing to deal with changes in election law since the lawsuits¹⁴ challenging the measures were filed last year. But getting updates to voters is a challenge, especially as the office also tries to combat misinformation about election fraud that swelled¹⁵ after the 2020 election.

1 inaccurate   

adj.错误的，不正确的，不准确的

参考例句：

• The book is both inaccurate and exaggerated.这本书不但不准确，而且夸大其词。
• She never knows the right time because her watch is inaccurate.她从来不知道准确的时间因为她的表不准。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

4 tightening   

上紧，固定，紧密

参考例句：

• Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前，检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
• It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。

5 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

6 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

7 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

8 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

9 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

10 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

11 addendum   

n.补充，附录

参考例句：

• This is an addendum to the book.这是本书的附录。
• Six parts and one addendum are separated in the paper.论文由六章和一个附录组成。

12 formatting   

n.格式化v.使格式化( format的现在分词 )；规定…的格式（或形状、大小、比例等）；安排…的格局（或规格）；设计…的版面

参考例句：

• Select the block of text and-click and choose Default Formatting. 选择目标文字块，点击鼠标右键，选择默认格式。 来自互联网
• There are emerging conventions about the content and formatting of documentation strings. 这里介绍文档字符串的概念和格式。 来自互联网

13 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

14 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

15 swelled   

增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）

参考例句：

• The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染，他的手肿了起来。
• After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后，河水猛涨。