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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Clerks battle false claims as they prepare to administer elections
Voting for the midterm elections is underway and election officials across the country are trying to get ready for all the ways two years of false claims and conspiracy2 theories may have damaged trust in their work.
That includes in Colorado. Even though it wasn't a swing state in 2020, Colorado has been at the forefront of false claims that the presidential election was stolen.
And by now, Republican Clerk Carly Koppes has probably heard it all. Koppes oversees3 elections in conservative Weld County in northern Colorado.
She says groups that believe the system is corrupt4 have been encouraging their members to get involved, including as poll watchers for the state's June primary.
"I approved 35 watchers during that primary election, and every single one of them had ties to either USEIP, which is a known election denier group, or other similar organizations that are also election denier groups as well," Koppes said. "This really does put us in a very tough spot."
The U.S. Election Integrity Plan says its goal is to defend democracy and root out fraud — including by canvassing5 door to door. The organization began in Colorado after the 2020 election and is not associated with any government entity6 or election office.
But Koppes says the volunteers' agenda didn't fluster7 her.
"I took full advantage of it, to be honest," she said. "I was like, thank you for giving me these people so that I can show them what actually happens.
"I literally8 had one watcher get on their knees and follow my wires just so that I could prove to them that it is a closed network, that it's not connected to the internet."
Election deniers have spread conspiracies9 that Dominion10 voting machines are connected to the internet and rigged votes for President Biden. The company is headquartered in Denver and is suing a number of pro-Trump media outlets11 and individuals for defamation12.
Unlike past elections, Koppes said many poll watchers who volunteered did so specifically to observe her office. On a tour of Weld County's election office, Koppes pointed13 to bright green wires that connect the machines that scan paper ballots15 to a secure room where a different machine tabulates16 those results.
She covered part of the wire with clear tape to avoid a tripping hazard, but also made sure it was see-through.
"We've got our two holes in the wall, that they can see that it's actually going into the wall," she said. "And then on the other side that this is our secure server room and they can actually see from the window in there, it going straight into the server."
She's also adding video screens throughout the room to play PowerPoint presentations on different aspects of how the elections process works.
"Again, [we're] just trying to have that information constantly rolling, so hopefully, you know, they can stand here and they can watch that — and then have a little more educated questions," she said.
According to Colorado election officials, other conspiracies are circulating too. One false claim urges voters to intentionally17 make mistakes when filling out their paper ballot14 to trigger a hand count of that ballot.
"And that's not accurate," said Democratic Clerk Regina O'Brien in Eagle County, in western Colorado near Vail.
She said purposefully making a mistake will simply lead a bipartisan team of election judges to review the ballot before sending it on to the machine.
"If a ballot is mismarked, it will go to adjudication on the same tabulation18 systems that we use," she said.
As clerks battle misinformation, they are also trying to be more transparent19. O'Brien is adding cameras and security, additional trainings and public tours. Counties like Denver will livestream their ballot processing room.
Matt Crane, a Republican who heads the Colorado County Clerks Association, testified before Congress on the increased threats election officials face.
"We're in this situation right now for two reasons," Crane said. "One because of a lie of a stolen election, which absolutely is a lie. The second and probably as big a reason is a failure of leadership for people who know the truth to stand up and speak the truth."
Crane says that makes the bipartisan efforts of Colorado election officials to restore trust even more critical.
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| n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书 | |
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conspiracy
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| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
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oversees
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| v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 ) | |
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corrupt
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| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
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canvassing
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| v.（在政治方面）游说( canvass的现在分词 )；调查（如选举前选民的）意见；为讨论而提出（意见等）；详细检查 | |
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entity
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| n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物 | |
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fluster
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| adj.慌乱，狼狈，混乱，激动 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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conspiracies
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| n.阴谋，密谋( conspiracy的名词复数 ) | |
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dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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outlets
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| n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店 | |
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defamation
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| n.诽谤；中伤 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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ballot
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| n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票 | |
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ballots
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| n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 ) | |
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tabulates
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| 把（数字、事实）列成表( tabulate的第三人称单数 ) | |
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intentionally
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| ad.故意地，有意地 | |
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tabulation
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| 作表，表格； 表列结果； 列表； 造表 | |
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transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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