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The ballot¹ count is underway in a crucial primary election in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Voters chose between two candidates for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination²: Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

美国宾夕法尼亚州正在举行一场关键的总统候选人初选，目前投票已经结束。选民在两名民主党总统参选人中作出抉择：是把票投给巴拉克.奥巴马参议员还是投给希拉里.克林顿参议员。

Most agree they have never quite seen anything like it.

大多数选民都同意，他们从来没有见过这样的阵势。

Pennsylvania traditionally holds its primary late, and for years it has been an afterthought in the selection process.

从传统上讲，宾夕法尼亚州举行初选的时间比较靠后，因此，多年以来，宾夕法尼亚州一直扮演着选战大局已定后的扫尾角色。

But election officials say this year is different. Two candidates are still battling hard for the Democratic nomination, voter registration³ is way up, and a high turnout is expected.

不过，选举官员说，今年情况不同了。两位候选人仍在努力竞选，争取民主党的党内总统候选人提名。大量选民登记参加投票，可以预见这次宾州的选民投票率将会相当高。

At a polling place in the Pittsburgh suburbs, a neighborhood election official named Al surveys the Election Day scene and smiles. "I haven't seen this much excitement since I started voting in 1960 for Jack⁴ Kennedy," the official said.

在匹兹堡郊区的一个投票站，社区选举官员埃尔一边观察选举日的情况，一边微笑着说：“自从我在1960年投给肯尼迪一票之后，我还没有见过这样令人兴奋的场面。”

Turnout has been steady across the state, with a big jump in participation⁵ in the late hours before the polls close.

在宾州各个地区，选民投票率相当稳定，在投票站关闭之前有大量选民参加投票。

The mood is serious, with voters well aware that this year their ballots⁶ really count.

选民的情绪非常认真，因为他们清楚地知道，今年他们的投票结果将真正在美国总统选举中起到重要的作用。

Elizabeth, a high school English teacher, says she voted for Barack Obama. "A lot of people talk about how eloquently⁷ he speaks. A lot of people say he doesn't have substance. But every time I have listened to him speak, I hear a lot of substantive⁸ issues being discussed in an intelligent and familiar way," she said.

高中英语教师伊丽莎白说，她支持奥巴马。伊丽莎白说：“很多人都说奥巴马的口才如何好，也有很多人说他的讲话没有实质内容。但我每一次听他的讲话，我都听到他以机智和熟悉的方式对很多实质性的问题加以讨论。”

Republicans are also holding a separate party primary in Pennsylvania. They already have a presumptive presidential nominee⁹ in John McCain. But Greg, a party member, says he took his Republican ballot and wrote in Senator Obama's name, even though his vote will not count in the Democrats-only tally¹⁰. "I just wanted my voice to be heard. That was who I wanted to represent today. So that is why I wanted to make sure I came here," he said.

共和党也在宾州分别举行了他们的党内初选。他们已经有了一个据信很可能成为总统候选提名人的约翰.麦凯恩。但一位名叫格雷戈的共和党人士说，他参加了共和党的初选投票，而他却在选票上写下参议员奥巴马的名字，而不顾他的选票根本不会被计入民主党初选的票数当中。他说：“我只希望大家听到我的意见，那些人是我今天要代表的，那就是我一定要来投票的原因。”

Younger voters, like Elizabeth and Greg, form the core of Barack Obama's support in Pennsylvania. They embrace his message of change. But senior citizens appear more interested in experience and stability. And all indications are, they are backing Hillary Clinton.

像伊丽莎白和格雷戈这样的年轻选民是宾州支持奥巴马的主要力量，他们拥护奥巴马的改革主张。可是，老年公民似乎更加关注经验和稳定性，所有迹象显示，他们支持的是希拉里.克林顿。

After casting her ballot, an elderly woman named Joan leans slightly on a cane¹¹ and explains her vote for Senator Clinton. "She is articulate in getting her point across and her points, I like," she said.

一位名叫琼的老年妇女在投票后拄着拐杖解释她为什么投票选克林顿参议员的原因。她说：“克林顿善于清晰地表达她的观点，我喜欢她的观点。”

She says she is voting not just on the basis of issues that concern senior citizens, but those that will affect her children and grandchildren as well.

她说，她投票的依据不只是老年公民关注的问题，还有那些会影响他的子孙的问题。

As she emerges from the polls, a young mother is also focusing on the future, as she holds onto the hand of her young daughter. Dawn says she was unsure about her vote until the last minute. She says she listened to her gut¹² feelings and the advice of her seven-year-old child. "I voted for Barack and then when I went to cast my ballot I went back and voted for Hillary," she said.

和她同时来到投票站的还有年轻的母亲唐，她也关注未来的问题，唐拉着小女儿的手说，她在最后一分钟才决定投谁的票。她说，她听从内心感受和她7岁孩子的意见。她说：“我本来想投奥巴马的票，可是当我去投票的时候，我又转投克林顿的票。”

Her daughter, Flynn, squints¹³ in the springtime sun, and volunteers her own take on the campaign. "I thought that when I was watching Hillary in the debate, I thought that Hillary was really going to win."

她的女儿弗兰在阳光下眯着眼睛，主动表达了她对选战的看法。她说：“我在看希拉里辩论的时候，我想希拉里真的会赢。”

Voters in Pennsylvania know in the end their choice will be historic, and for the first time a major political party will nominate either a woman or an African-American for the presidency¹⁴. Dawn says she wants her daughter to experience it all and know that anything is possible, noting Flynn has already decided¹⁵ that some day she might just want to be the president of the United States.

宾州的选民知道，他们的选择最终具有历史意义，美国主要政党将第一次提名一位妇女或者非洲裔美国人作为总统候选人。唐说，她希望她的女儿经历这一切，并且懂得一切都是可能的。唐说，弗兰已经决定，有一天她可能也希望成为美国总统。