Why do Americans vote on Tuesdays?

Translator: Christie Cheng Reviewer: Alan Watson

I want to tell you all about a piece of American history

我想同大家講一段非常秘密嘅美國歷史

that is so secret,

that nobody has done anything about it for 167 years,

秘密到過去 167 年嚟冇人 對呢段歷史做過任何嘢

until right now.

直到以家先至有人著手

And the way that we're going to uncover this vestigial organ of America past

而我哋揭開呢段美國秘史嘅方法

is by asking this question:

就係問：點解？

Why?

As we all know --

我哋都知道

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

we are in the middle of another presidential election,

新一屆總統選舉進行得如火如荼

大家都睇到火藥味仲好重

hotly contested, as you can see.

(Laughter)

But what you may not know is that American voter turnout

但你可能唔知道

美國嘅投票率喺世界排名排到好後

ranks near the bottom of all countries in the entire world,

138th of 172 nations.

172 個國家之中，排第 138 位

This is the world's most famous democracy.

但美國係世界上民主最出名嘅國家

So ...

所以，點解我哋要揀喺星期二投票？

Why do we vote on Tuesday?

Does anybody know?

有冇人知？

And as a matter of fact, Michigan and Arizona are voting today.

其實今日係密芝根州 同亞利桑拿州嘅投票日

Here's the answer:

答案係：冇特別原因

Absolutely no good reason whatsoever.

(Laughter)

我唔係講笑

I'm not joking.

You will not find the answer in the Declaration of Independence,

無論喺美國獨立宣言抑或憲法裏面

nor will you find it in the Constitution.

你亦都唔會搵到答案

It is just a stupid law from 1845.

而呢條，只係 1845 年訂立嘅蠢法例

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

1845 年嘅美國人以馬車作為交通工具

In 1845, Americans traveled by horse and buggy.

As did I, evidently.

就好似片中嘅我咁

It took a day to get to the county seat to vote, a day to get back,

選民需要花至少兩日來回縣城投票

and you couldn't travel on the Sabbath, so, Tuesday it was.

而佢哋又唔可以喺星期日出門

所以投票日定喺星期二

I don't often travel by horse and buggy, I would imagine most of you don't,

我就好少坐馬車

我諗你哋都好少

當我聽到頭先個解釋嘅時候 覺得好神奇

so when I found out about this, I was fascinated.

所以我聯絡一個叫 「點解係星期二？仲有咩？」嘅組織

I linked up with a group called, what else -- "Why Tuesday?"

去問一啲國內知名、獲選嘅政治領袖

to go and ask our nation's most prominent elected leaders

睇佢哋知唔知呢條問題嘅答案

if they knew the answer to the question,

"Why do we vote on Tuesday?"

「點解我哋喺星期二投票？」

(Video) Rick Santorum: Anybody knows? OK, I'm going to be stumped on this.

（影片）Rick Santorum： 有冇人知呀？

好啦，雖然好冒昧

但有冇人知道點解 我哋㨂喺星期二投票呀？

Anybody knows why we vote on Tuesdays?

記者：你知唔知呀？

Jacob Soboroff: Do you happen to know? Ron Paul: On Tuesdays?

Ron Paul：訂喺星期二？

記者：11 月第一個星期二

JS: The day after the first Monday in November.

Ron Paul：我唔知點解係咁

RP: I don't know how that originated.

記者：你知唔知點解 我哋喺星期二投票？

JS: Do you know why we do vote on Tuesday? Newt Gingrich: No.

Newt Gingrich：唔知

Dick Lugar: No, I don't. (Laughter)

Dick Lugar：我唔知

Dianne Feinstein: I don't. Darrell Issa: No.

Dianne Feinstein：唔知

Darrell Issa：唔知

John Kerry: In truth, really, I'm not sure why.

John Kerry：講真，我唔知點解

JS: OK, thanks very much.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

JS: These are people that live for election day,

講者︰呢啲以選票搵食嘅人 都唔知點解我哋喺嗰日投票

yet they don't know why we vote on that very day.

(Laughter)

Chris Rock said, "They don't want you to vote.

Chris Rock 話︰ 「因為政府唔想我哋投票。

If they did, we wouldn't vote on a Tuesday in November.

如果政府想我哋投， 就唔會喺十一月嘅一個星期二搞。

Have you ever thrown a party on a Tuesday?

你會唔會喺星期二開派對？

(Laughter)

No, of course not. Nobody would show up."

梗係唔會啦，因為冇人會嚟！」

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Here's the cool part.

嚟到犀利嘅部分

Because we asked this question, "Why Tuesday?"

因為我哋問咗 「點解係星期二」呢個問題

there is now this bill, the Weekend Voting Act

依家有人喺美國國會裏面提議 「週末投票」嘅法案

in the Congress of the United States of America.

It would move election day from Tuesday to the weekend,

通過咗嘅話 投票日就會由星期二改去週末

so that -- duh -- more people can vote.

咁做，唔使問阿貴，都知多啲人會投票

(Applause)

（掌聲）

It has only taken 167 years,

用咗 167 年

but finally, we are on the verge of changing American history.

我哋終於開始改變美國歷史

Thank you very much.

多謝各位

(Applause)

（掌聲）

多謝

Thanks a lot.

(Applause)