What's needed to bring the US voting system into the 21st century | Tiana Epps-Johnson

翻译人员: jacks peng 校对人员: sun leying

OK, I want to take a moment to let each of you think to yourselves

我想让你们每个人花点时间回想

about the last time you sent or received a fax.

上次发传真或收到传真是什么时候。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Well, for me, it was this morning,

就我而言，在这个早晨，

because one piece of my work

因为我的工作之一就是

is making sure that everyone in the US has the information that they need

确保美国的每一个人 都有他们需要的信息

to make decisions about the candidates on their ballot.

来决定他们选票上的候选人。

And collecting that information

从负责维护这些

from the local government offices responsible for maintaining it

的地方政府部门收集这些信息

means sending and receiving a lot of faxes.

意味着要发送和接收大量传真。

Voting is one of our most fundamental rights.

投票是我们最基本的权利。

It's one of the most tangible ways

这是我们每一个人

that each and every one of us can shape our communities.

塑造我们的社区 最切实可行的方式之一。

And as we enter this fourth industrial revolution,

而随着我们进入这第四次工业革命，

where technology is changing everything around us,

技术正在改变我们周遭的一切，

you would think, with something as important as the right to vote,

你可能会想，像投票权 这样重要的事情，

that we would have the most modern, secure,

应该有最现代，最安全，

inclusive system that could exist ...

最包容的系统…

But we don't.

但我们没有。

When we look at comparable democracies,

当我们看看类似的民主国家，

the US has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the world.

美国是世界上的投票率 最低的国家之一。

We have a system where even the most persistent voters

即便是最坚持不懈的选民，

come up against exhausting barriers.

也会因为系统的各种障碍 而精疲力竭。

A system where 20th-century technology --

这个还用20世纪技术的系统——

like fax machines --

如传真机——

and outdated practices stand in the way of full, vibrant participation.

以及其他过时的做法阻碍了选民 全面、积极的参与。

In US presidential elections, turnout hovers around 60 percent.

在美国总统大选中， 投票率徘徊在60%。

The numbers are even lower for local elections.

这个数字在地方选举中 会更低。

That means that nearly 40 percent of Americans aren't voters.

这意味着40%的美国人 没有参与投票。

That's nearly 100 million people.

相当于1亿人。

I believe in something very straightforward:

我相信一些非常直接的东西：

that everyone should have the information that they need to become a voter,

每个人都应该获得作为选民 所需要的信息，

that the voting process should be seamless and secure

投票过程应该严密、安全，

and that every voter should have information they trust

并且每一个投票人应该拥有

to make decisions about the candidates on their ballot.

对选票上的候选人作出决定的 可信信息。

Because when more people vote,

因为当更多人投票，一起投票，

together, we make better decisions for our communities.

我们就能为我们的社区 做更好的决定。

So I've spent the last eight years on a mission

在过去的八年中，

我参与了推动我们的民主社会 进入21世纪这件事上。

to push our democracy into the 21st century.

Now, one of the most common approaches to election modernization

现在，一个让选举现代化的 最常见方式是

is advocating for policy change,

呼吁政策改变，

and that's an incredibly important piece of the strategy

这是建立一个让数百万人成为选民

for building a system where millions of more people become voters.

的制度的战略中非常重要的一部分。

But I've taken a different approach.

但我采取了不同的方式。

I focused on a critical yet largely untapped resource

我专注于一种重要但很大程度上 未开发的资源

for election modernization:

来进行选举现代化。

local election officials.

那就是地方选举官员。

I work with thousands of local election officials across the country

我跟全国各地成千上万 地方选举官员合作

to build tools and skills that they can use immediately

来创建他们可以迅速 使用的工具和技能

to transform the way that they're engaging today's voters.

改变他们吸引今天选民的方式。

Folks like Kat and Marie.

比如说，凯特和玛丽。

Kat and Marie have worked together for years in a windowless office

凯特和玛丽在西弗吉尼亚州 莫瑟县法院

in the basement of the Mercer County Courthouse in West Virginia.

地下室一间没有窗户的办公室里 共事多年。

Together, they have a tremendous responsibility.

他们共同肩负着巨大的责任。

They're local election officials serving Mercer County's 40,000 registered voters.

他们是当地的选举官员，为默瑟县 的4万名注册选民服务。

Local election officials are the public servants

地方选举官员是国家的公职人员，

that do the day-to-day work that makes our election system function.

他们的日常工作 让选举制度发挥作用。

When you fill out a voter-registration form,

当你填写选民登记表时，

they're the folks that process them and add you to the rolls.

他们是处理登记表， 把你加入名单的人。

They're the folks who buy the technology that we use to cast and count ballots.

他们是购买用来投票和 计票技术的人。

They recruit and train the volunteers at your local polling place.

他们在当地的投票站 招募和培训志愿者。

And they're the official nonpartisan source

他们是官方的无党派消息来源，

for informing people in their communities about how to vote.

让社区的人们知道如何投票。

And unlike other countries

跟其他拥有

where there's some form of centralized election authority,

中央选举机构的国家不同的是，

in the US,

在美国，

there are 7,897 different county and municipal offices,

有7897个不同的县市办事处，

like Kat and Marie's,

像凯特和玛丽，

that each have an independent role in administering elections.

她们在选举方面有独立的作用。

Yes, that's nearly 8,000 slightly different ways

是的，你会体验到8000种略有差异的 选举方式，

that you might experience voting based on where you happen to live.

这取决于你刚好生活在哪里。

When I was talking with Kat and Marie,

当我和凯特和玛丽交流时，

like so many election officials that I talk with in rural towns

跟我在乡镇和主要城市交谈过的

and in major cities alike,

很多选举官员一样，

they were deeply proud of getting to help people in their communities,

她们颇为自豪能帮助社区的人投票，

but they were also worried.

但她们也很担忧。

All of the new tools that people were using to get information --

所有人们用来获取信息的新工具——

the internet, social media --

互联网，社交媒体——

they were difficult to figure out how to use effectively.

她们难以研究出 有效使用这些工具的方法。

And they felt like they weren't fully meeting the needs of Mercer County voters.

她们觉得自己没有完全满足 默瑟县选民的需求。

One thing that they really wished that they had was a website

她们很希望拥有的是网站，

so they could create a hub

这样她们就可以创建一个信息中心

with information about how to register in upcoming elections,

告诉选民如何注册即将到来的选举，

and a place to put election results.

同时创建一个公布选举结果的场所。

See, at the time, when voters had questions,

以前，当选民有疑问时，

they had to either call or visit their office,

人们只能打电话， 或是前往她们的办公室，

which meant that Kat and Marie were inevitably answering

这意味着凯特和玛丽不可避免地

the same questions over and over again,

一遍遍回答同样的问题，

which is both a superinefficient use of their time,

这非常低效地占据了她们的时间，

but also created totally unnecessary barriers for voters

并且，当信息完全可以被在线浏览，

when that information could just live online.

这个老系统为投票者 造成了不必要的障碍。

And Mercer County wasn't alone.

莫瑟县的情况并非个例。

At the time, they were one of 966 counties in the US

它是美国966个无网上投票信息

that had no voting information online.

的县里面的其中一个。

I'll let that sink in.

请记住。

They were one of the nearly one-third of counties in the US

它们是美国占近1/3的

that had no place online

无在线网站

to find official information about how to vote.

提供官方投票信息的县之一。

To Kat and Marie, not having and election website was unacceptable,

对凯特和玛丽而言， 无选举网站是不可接受的。

but they didn't have very many options.

但她们没多余的选择。

They didn't have the budget to hire a web developer,

她们没有预算去雇佣网站开发者，

they didn't have the expertise to build a site themselves,

她们没有自己创建网站的经验，

so they went without.

所以她们只能在 没有网站的情况下运作。

And 40,000 voters in Mercer County went without.

4万个莫瑟县的选民在没有网站的 情况下进行投票。

We're in a moment where we have an unprecedented opportunity

我们正处在一个拥有前所未有的机遇

to transform civic engagement.

改变公民参与的时代。

Technology is revolutionizing science and industry.

技术正在革新科学和工业。

It's already transformed how we connect with one another

它已经改变了我们彼此连接

and understand the world around us,

和了解周遭世界的方式，

but our democratic institutions --

但我们的民主机构——

they're being left behind.

它们却被抛在后面。

The US is one of the few major democracies in the world

美国是全球少数几个主要民主国家里

that puts the onus of voter registration on the individual voter,

把选民登记的责任推给了个人选民，

rather than the government.

而非政府的国家之一。

The rules that govern how to vote vary from state to state,

管理如何投票的规则因州而异，

and sometimes even county to county.

有时候甚至县跟县都不同。

And we have ballots that are pages and pages long.

我们的选票长达一页又一页。

This November, on my ballot,

这年11月，我的选票上面，

there are literally over 100 different people and referenda

真的有超过100个候选人

for me to make decisions about.

需要我作出决定。

We have to be using the best tools we can bring to bear

我们必须使用我们有的

to help voters navigate this complexity,

最好工具来帮助选民 克服这种复杂的情况，

and right now, we're not.

而目前为止，我们并没有。

One of the most common narratives I hear in my work

我在工作中听到的最常见故事之一是

is that people aren't civically engaged because they're apathetic --

人们不参加到社会工作中来 是因为他们对社会漠不关心，

because they don't care.

因为他们不在乎。

But as my brilliant friends at the Center for Civic Design say,

但就像我在城市设计中心 的聪明朋友们说的那样，

if there is apathy,

如果有漠不关心的情况，

it comes from the system,

那问题源于国家体系，

not the voter.

而非选民本身。

We can change the system right now

我们现在就可以改变这个体系，

by connecting local election officials like Kat and Marie

通过给本地选举官员， 像凯特与玛丽，

with 21st-century tools

21世纪的工具

and the training that they need to use them to better serve voters.

和所需的培训来 让他们更好服务选民。

Tools and training to do things like use social media for voter engagement,

这些工具和培训包括 使用社交媒体来提高选民参与度，

or use data to staff and equip polling places

或是通过数据 给投票站配备人手，

so that we don't see hours-long lines at the polls,

这样我们就不会看到 长达数小时的投票排队，

or training on cybersecurity best practices

或者培训符合 网络安全的最佳操作，

so that we can ensure that our voting systems are secure.

这样我们就能确保 投票系统的安全。

When we invest in this approach,

当我们以这样的方式投入时，

we see meaningful, lasting results.

我们会看到有意义、持续的结果。

Kat and Marie are online now.

凯特和玛丽现在上线了。

Inspired by their experience, we built a website template

受她们遭遇的启发， 我们建立了一个网站模板

using research-based best practices in civic design,

基于研究，网站的设计是 最有利于民众操作的，

and developed the training

同时我们还开发了培训内容，

so that Kat and Marie are able to maintain their site themselves.

这样，凯特和玛丽能够

维护她们自己的网站。

In less than a week,

在不到一周的时间内 她们从从未见过网站的后端,

they went from having never seen the back end of a website

to building a resource for Mercer County voters

到能够为莫瑟县的选民提供资源，

that they have been independently keeping up to date since 2014.

自2014年以来，她们一直在独立 保持着网站的更新。

Today, the 40,000 voters in Mercer County

今天，4万位莫瑟县的选民

and over 100,000 voters in counties across the country

和全国超过10万的选民

have everything that they need to become a voter

可以获得他们作为选民 需要的所有信息，

directly from their local election official,

直接来源于当地的选举官员，

on a mobile-friendly, easy-to-use, accessible website.

这些信息都在一个拥有移动端、 触手可及、便于操作的网站。

And we can even further scale the impact

我们还可以进一步扩大影响，

when local election officials are not only reaching out

地方选举官员不仅可以 通过自己的渠道

through their own channels,

扩大影响，

but they're extending their reach by working in partnership with others.

她们还可以通过与他人合作 来扩大覆盖范围。

Efforts like the Ballot Information Project

诸如“选票信息计划”和

and the Voting Information Project work with election officials nationwide

“投票信息计划”，这些项目与 全国范围内的选举官员合作，

to create a centralized, standard database of key voting information,

来创建一个中心化、标准化的数据库， 包含所有关键投票信息，

like what's on your ballot and where to vote.

比如你的选票上有什么和 到哪里去投票。

That information powers tools built by companies like Google and Facebook

这些信息为谷歌和脸书等公司 开发的工具提供了强大的支持，

to get information in the places where people already are,

可以在人们已经在的地方获取信息

like their newsfeed and search.

如他们信息流和搜索。

In 2016, the Ballot Information Project

2016年，“选票信息计划”

connected the public with information about candidates and referenda

联结公众与候选人信息和投票信息，

over 200 millions times,

超过2亿次，

helping between a third and a half of every single person who cast a ballot.

帮助了大概1/3到1/2的投票选民。

And that model has been replicated for elections around the world.

这个模式在世界各地的选举中 被得以复制。

When we look at efforts in other areas of government,

当我们审视政府在 其他方面的作为时，

we can see the opportunity when we listen to the public's needs

我们可以看到这些机遇： 当我们倾听公众的需求，

and we meet them with modern tools.

并用现代工具满足他们的需求 。

I think about my friends at mRelief,

我想到了我在mRelief的朋友们，

who have helped 260,000 families

他们帮助26万家庭

unlock 42 million dollars in food benefits

获得了4200万美元的食物补贴，

by helping government agencies transition away

方法是通过帮助政府机构

from a 20-page, paper-based application for food stamps

将20页纸的纸质食品券申请，

to a process that can happen in 10 questions over text message

变成一项在三分钟内 就能通过短信

in fewer than three minutes.

回答10个问题而做到的事。

That kind of transformation is possible in voting.

这种转变在选举中是可能的。

It's happening right now,

现在正在发生，

but there's still so much work to do.

当仍然有很多工作要做。

Now, if you have any technical bone in your body,

如果你有对科技技术有任何了解，

I know what you're thinking.

我知道你们在想什么。

This is all solvable.

这都是可以解决的。

The technology that we need exists.

我们需要的技术是现存的。

We collectively have the expertise.

我们都有专业知识。

You might even be thinking about volunteering

你甚至可以考虑在你们 的地方选举办公室

at your local election office.

做志愿者。

I love how solutions-oriented you are,

我喜欢你们以解决问题为导向的 工作方式，

but to be clear,

但要明确的是，

the work that is needed to modernize our election system

现代化我们的选举系统 所需的工作，

isn't something that's going to happen using 20 percent time,

并不能靠只花20%的时间 就能完成，

or through a hackathon,

也不是进行一场编程马拉松 就能达到的，

or by doing a one-off technology project.

或是一场一次性的项目 就能搞定的。

What we need is significant, sustained, long-term investment.

我们需要的是显著、持续 和长期的投入。

Investment in technology

投资技术，

and investment in the skills of local election officials

投资地方选举官员的技能

to run 21st-century elections,

来运转21世纪的选举，

because if we don't invest in the long game,

因为如果我们不能长期投入，

we risk finding ourselves perpetually behind.

我们可能会发现自己永远落后。

So if you're ready to help millions,

所以如果你打算帮助成千上万的人，

if you're ready to close the gap between the system that we have

如果你打算消除我们现有的体系

and the system that we deserve,

和我们应该拥有的体系之间的差异，

we need you.

我们需要你们。

Organizations that are doing this work year-round need you.

常年从事这项工作的组织需要你。

Local election offices need you.

地方选举办公室需要你。

Come join us.

来加入我们。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（鼓掌）