Most people have heard of the Electoral College during presidential election years.
在总统大选期间，很多人都听说过'选举人团'。
But what exactly is the Electoral College?
但是'选举人团'究竟是什么呢？
Simply said, it is a group of people appointed by each state who formally elect the President and Vice President of the United States.
简单来说，就是由各州任命形式上选出正副总统的一个团体。
To understand how this process began and how it continues today,
为了解这个制度的来龙去脉，
we can look at the Constitution of the United States: article two, section one, clause two of the constitution.
我们不妨参考美国宪法的第二章，第一节的第二条款。
It specifies how many electors each state is entitled to have.
上面明确指出各州有几名选举人。
Since 1964, there have been 538 electors in each presidential election.
自1964年起，每届总统大选都有538名选举人。
How do they decide on the number 538?
538这个数字从何而来？
Well, the number of electors is equal to the total voting membership of the United States Congress.
是这样的，选举人的人数等于国会参、众议员总数。
435 representatives, plus 100 senators, and 3 electors from the District of Columbia.
435位众议员，加100位参议员，以及3位来自哥伦比亚特区的选举人。
Essentially, the Democratic candidate and Republican candidate are each trying to add up the electors in every state
基本上，不论是民主党或共和党候选人，都想争取各州选票，
so that they surpass 270 electoral votes, or just over half the 538 votes, and win the presidency.
并努力使其超过270票，或是赢得538票中的过半票数，从而赢得大选。
So how do states even get electoral votes?
那么各州是如何得到选举人票的呢？
Each state receives a particular number of electors based on population size.
依据人口数量，每州会被分配一定数量的选举人。
The census is conducted every 10 years, so every time the census happens, states might gain or lose a few electoral votes.
人口普查每十年进行一次，因此之后各州的选举人票可能有所增减。
Let's say you're a voter in California, a state with 55 electoral votes.
比如你是加州的选民，而加州共有55张选举人票。
If your candidate wins in California, they get all 55 of the state's electoral votes.
如果你的候选人在加州胜选，就会得到全部的55张选举人票。
If your candidate loses, they get none.
若你的候选人败选，那么他们就会空手而回。
This is why many presidential candidates want to win states like Texas, Florida, and New York.
这就是为何许多竞选人想赢得德州，弗罗里达州，纽约州的选票。
If you currently add up the electoral votes of those three states, you would have 96 electoral votes.
如果把这三个州投票权票数加总，你会得到96张选举人票。
Even if a candidate won North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Vermont, New Hampshire. Connecticut and West Virginia,
即使参选人赢得了北卡科塔州，南卡克他州，蒙大纳州，怀俄明州，佛蒙特州，新罕布什尔州，康州以及西弗吉尼亚州，
they would only gain 31 electoral votes total from those eight states.
这8个州总共也只有31张选举人票。
Here is where it can get a little tricky.
这使得情况可能变得有些微妙。

On a rare occasion, like in the year 2000, someone can win the popular vote but fail to gain 270 electoral votes.
2000年出现了一个罕见的状况，有人赢得了半数以上的民众选票，但却无法得到270张选举人票。
This means that the winner may have won and collected their electoral votes by small margins,
这意味着获胜者可能以极小的票数差获胜，
winning just enough states with just enough electoral votes,
赢得的州与选举人票的数量刚好可以获胜。
but the losing candidate may have captured large voter margins in the remaining states.
但是落选人很可能在剩余州比对方获得更多票数。
If this is the case, the very large margins secured by the losing candidate in the other states would add up to over 50% of the ballots cast nationally.
在这种情况下，落选人在各州获得的大量领先票数会总计达到全国选民投票总数的一半。
Therefore, the losing candidate may have gained more than 50% of the ballots cast by voters, but failed to gain 270 of the electoral votes.
因此，落选人虽能赢得过半的选民支持，却无法得到270张选举人票。
Some critics of the electoral college argue the system gives an unfair advantage to states with large numbers of electoral votes.
有批评者认为，此制度不公平的对有大量选举人票的各州给予优势。
Think of it this way. It is possible for a candidate to not get a single person's vote -- not one vote --
可以这么想，候选人有可能一票未得--
in 39 states, or the District of Columbia, yet be elected president by winning the popular vote in just 11 of these 12 states:
在39州和哥伦比亚特区--但只要在下面12个州中的11个州获胜，即可从而当选总统：
California, New York, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Georgia or Virginia.
加州，纽约州，德州，佛州，宾州，伊利诺伊州，俄州，密西根州，新泽西州，北卡罗兰州，乔治亚州或弗吉尼亚州。
This is why both parties pay attention to these states.
这就是为何两党如此注重这些州的选票。
However, others argue that the electoral college protects small states such as Rhode Island, Vermont and New Hampshire,
然而，也有人认为选举人团制度保护了较小的州，比如罗德岛州，佛蒙特州以及新罕布什尔州。
and even geographically large states with small populations like Alaska, Wyoming and the Dakotas.
甚至包括一些地广人稀的州，比如阿拉斯加州，怀俄明州和德科达州。
That's because a candidate can't completely ignore small states, because in a close election, every electoral vote counts.
这表示候选人不能彻底放弃小州，在一场势均力敌的选举中，每张选举人票都至为重要。
There are certain states that have a long history of voting for a particular party. These are known as 'safe states.'
有些州一直以来都会将选票投给固定的政党，它们被称为“铁票州”。
For the past four election cycles -- in 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008 --
在过去的1996，2000，2004和2008年这四个选举周期里，
Democrats could count on states like Oregon, Maryland, Michigan and Massachusetts,
民主党可依赖俄勒冈，马里兰，密西根和马塞诸塞这几个州；
whereas the Republicans could count on states like Mississippi, Alabama, Kansas and Idaho.
而共和党则依赖密西西比，阿拉巴马，堪萨斯与爱达华州。
States that are teetering between between parties are called 'swing states.'
摇摆于不同政党之间的州叫作“摇摆州”。
In the past four election cycles, Ohio and Florida have been swing states, twice providing electoral votes for a Democratic candidate,
在过去的四个选举周期里，俄亥俄州与佛罗里达州处于摇摆状态。它们两次投给民主党，
and twice providing electoral votes for a Republican candidate. Think about it. Do you live in a safe state?
两次投给共和党。想一想，你居住在铁票州吗？
If so, is it a Democratic or Republican safe state?
如果是的话，是支持共和党，还是民主党？
Do you live in a swing state? Are your neighboring states swing or safe?
你居住在摇摆州吗？你的临近州是铁票州还是摇摆州？
Is the population in your state increasing or decreasing?
你居住的州的人口是增是减？
And do not forget, when you are watching the electoral returns on election night every four years
别忘了，当你看着四年一度的总统大选晚上的开票转播，
and the big map of the United States is on the screen, know that the magic number is 270 and start adding.
当美国宽广的地图显示在屏幕上时，记住270这个神奇的数字，然后开始加加看吧。