VOA慢速英语2014 美国政党希望获得拉美裔的选票

 

AS IT IS 2014-10-30 US Political Parties Hope to Gain Latinos' Vote 美国政党希望获得拉美裔的选票

United States citizens of Latin American ancestry¹ could influence the U.S. elections on November 4th. On that day, Americans will vote for members of the House of Representatives, a third of the Senate, and state and local positions around the country. In states like California, Latinos are an important group of voters for the Democratic Party. But both Democrats³ and Republicans face a challenge in getting their vote.

Latino activists⁴ recently signed up new voters at a citizenship⁵ ceremony. They were seeking new U.S. citizens like Roberto Hernandez. He registered to vote with help from his son Jose, who is already a citizen and a voter.

Roberto Hernandez wants a bigger voice for the millions of undocumented people living in the country. Here, his son speaks his words in English.

“Better things for the undocumented, for immigrants, give them an opportunity. No discrimination. We should all be treated equal.”

In 2008 and 2012, many Latino voters supported President Barack Obama, a Democrat² who promised immigration reform. However, the president faced strong opposition⁶ from Congressional Republicans. They have demanded a secure border and oppose amnesty, or pardons, for illegal immigrants.

Latino activists are largely Democrats. Many of them are angry.

Activists from the Coalition⁷ for Humane⁸ Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles expressed their displeasure at a press conference. They discussed the situation Latino families face with some Latinos who are U.S. citizens and others who are in the country illegally.

Lauren Diegues is a citizen and a voter. But her grandfather and an uncle risk being expelled from the country. She says she is unhappy with the president.

“I am, because now that I lived it, now I know how other families feel.”

Dean Bonner is with the Public Policy Institute of California. The research group is not linked to a political party. He says Hispanics in California are usually Democrats, with smaller numbers of Republicans and independents. But he says California Hispanics are evenly divided among conservative, liberal and moderate voters. He says President Obama’s popularity has dropped and that could hurt Democrats in the election.

“We have been seeing a steady erosion of his approval among Latinos. While three in four right before the election in 2012 were approving of his job performance, today that number is 50 percent.”

Activists for Hispanics say voters support politicians who show interest in their concerns, in issues such as the economy, education, health care and immigration.

Hector Barreto is with the Hispanic Business Roundtable Institute. He says Latinos could influence the election results in many states.

“Colorado, for example, has a large Hispanic population, North Carolina has, even Arkansas has an Hispanic population. So neither one of those two parties can take those for granted, and Hispanics will continue to play a pivotal role in every election, whether that be a local, state or national, whether it be mid-term or presidential.”

Words in This Story

challenge – n., a difficult task or problem

undocumented – adj., describes someone without necessary documents to be in a country legally

amnesty - n., a pardon; a release from punishment

independents – n., people not registered with a major party in the United States

register - v., to have one’s name officially placed on a list of people permitted to vote in an election or take part in an educational program

Hispanic voters were eight percent of the electorate⁹ nationwide two years ago. However, fewer than half of those who were registered actually voted. Activists are working to register more Latino voters and urging them to vote.

1 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

7 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

8 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。

9 electorate   

n.全体选民；选区

参考例句：

• The government was responsible to the electorate.政府对全体选民负责。
• He has the backing of almost a quarter of the electorate.他得到了几乎1/4选民的支持。