Why do Americans vote on Tuesdays?

為什麼美國人在週二投票？- Jacob Soboroff

譯者: Sherri Wu 審譯者: Geoff Chen

（音樂）

我想來告訴大家一段美國歷史

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

因為太不為人知了

that is so secret,

that nobody has done anything about it for 167 years,

所以從來沒人研究過它

就這樣過了167年

until right now.

直到現在

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

而我們用來揭秘這段美國歷史的方法

is by asking this question:

就是問：為什麼？

Why?

我們都知道

As we all know --

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

we are in the middle of another presidential election,

現在又一屆的總統選舉正如火如荼

如各位所見，煙硝味很重

hotly contested, as you can see.

(Laughter)

But what you may not know is that American voter turnout

但大家可能不知道，美國的投票率

在世界排名上是墊底的

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

138th of 172 nations.

172國裡排第138

This is the world's most famous democracy.

這可是世界第一的民主國家耶

所以

So ...

到底我們為什麼訂週二為投票日？

Why do we vote on Tuesday?

有人知道嗎？

Does anybody know?

其實密西根和亞利桑那州是今天投票

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

答案是：

Here's the answer:

沒有為什麼

Absolutely no good reason whatsoever.

我可不是在說笑

(Laughter)

I'm not joking.

你們找不到答案的

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

獨立宣言裡沒提

nor will you find it in the Constitution.

憲法裡也沒說

It is just a stupid law from 1845.

這一切只因1845年的一則笨條文

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

1845年時，美國人交通都靠馬車

In 1845, Americans traveled by horse and buggy.

所以很顯然

As did I, evidently.

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

去趟省城投票往往得花個一、二天

而且安息日（週日）又不能遠遊

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

所以就訂週二投票囉

我不常駕馬車出遊

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

我想你們多半也不常吧

所以當我發現這個解釋時，我覺得很妙

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

於是組了個叫「為何是週二」的團體

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

去尋訪一些國內頗有名望的政治人物

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

if they knew the answer to the question,

看他們知不知道這個問題的答案：

"Why do we vote on Tuesday?"

「為什麼訂週二為投票日？」

（影片）Rick Santorum: 有人知道嗎？

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

好吧，儘管很冒昧：有人知道我們為何選在週二投票嗎？

Anybody knows why we vote on Tuesdays?

您知道嗎？

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

Ron Paul：週二嗎？

11月的第一個週二

JS: The day after the first Monday in November.

我不清楚起源是什麼

RP: I don't know how that originated.

您知道我們為何選在週二投票嗎？

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

Newt Gingrich: 不知道

Dick Lugar: 不清楚

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

Dianne Feinstein: 不知道

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

Darrell Issa: 不知道

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

John Kerry: 老實說，我不太知道為什麼

（笑聲）

JS: OK, thanks very much.

(Laughter)

這些可是為選舉日而活的人呢

JS: These are people that live for election day,

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

但他們都不知道為什麼我們訂那天為投票日

(Laughter)

Chris Rock (著名喜劇演員）說：那些人不希望大家去投票

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

否則不會訂週二為投票日

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

你在週二開過party嗎？

Have you ever thrown a party on a Tuesday?

(Laughter)

當然沒有，因為沒人會來。

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

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Here's the cool part.

現在是很酷的部分了

Because we asked this question, "Why Tuesday?"

因為我們問了「為何是週二」這個問題，現在有個「週末投票」的提案了

there is now this bill, the Weekend Voting Act

就在美國國會裡

in the Congress of the United States of America.

It would move election day from Tuesday to the weekend,

如果通過就能把投票日改到週末

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

這樣一來 - 還用說嗎 - 更多人就能投票啦

(Applause)

（掌聲）

不過過了167年而已

It has only taken 167 years,

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

但我們總算要開始改變

美國歷史了。謝謝各位

Thank you very much.

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Thanks a lot.

(Applause)