VOA慢速英语2018 堪萨斯州17岁少年无缘州长竞选（在线收听）

Kansas Teenagers Out of Governor Race

The American state of Kansas held its primary election on Tuesday. Results from primaries determine which candidates will represent political parties in the general election in November.

美国堪萨斯州周二举行了初选。初选结果决定了哪些候选人将在11月的大选中代表政党。 

Tyler Ruzich was one of the candidates for Kansas governor.He hoped to become the Republican Party’s nominee.

泰勒（Tyler Ruzich）是竞选堪萨斯州州长的候选人之一。他希望成为共和党的候选人。 

On Tuesday afternoon, he and his running mate went to their local voting station.Later, he held a watch party for friends and supporters.

周二下午，他和他的竞选伙伴来到他们当地的投票站。随后，他为朋友和支持者举办了一场派对。 

But Ruzich did not get to vote for himself -- or for anyone else.At just 17 years of age, he is still too young.

但他没有为自己或其他任何人投票。他年仅17岁，还太年轻。 

The minimum voting age in the United States is 18.

美国最低的投票年龄是18岁。 

“You don’t have to vote to be a voter,” Ruzich told some of his friends at his election watch party.“Being here means you’re a voter...and that you’re standing by someone you support.”

他在他的选举派对上向他的一些朋友说道，“你不必投票选举，”。“站在这里意味着你就是一个选民......你站在你支持的人身边。”

Ruzich was not the only candidate too young to vote in the primary election.Seventeen-year-old Jack Bergeson ran as a candidate for the Democratic Party’s nomination.And Joseph Tutera, also 17, hoped to represent the Republican Party in November.

泰勒并不是唯一一个在初选中太年轻而无法投票的候选人。17岁的杰克·伯格森（Jack Bergeson）是民主党提名候选人。17岁的约瑟夫·图特拉（Joseph Tutera）希望在11月能够代表共和党。

In total, six Kansas teenagers had declared their candidacy for governor.They did so after discovering last year that the Kansas constitution does not have a minimum age requirement to run for office.

共有6名堪萨斯州青少年宣布参选州长。在去年发现堪萨斯州宪法没有竞选的最低年龄要求之后，他们便参加了竞选。

Kansas has since passed a law requiring future candidates to be at least 18 years old.

堪萨斯州已通过一项法律，要求未来的候选人至少年满18岁。 

The teenage gubernatorial candidates gained national media attention.They also helped bring attention to voting issues in their state.The nonprofit organization Rock the Vote considers Kansas to be a “blocker” state.That means there are many barriers to voter registration.

青少年州长候选人引起了全国媒体的关注。他们还帮助关注他们州的投票问题。非营利组织摇滚投票（Rock the Vote）认为堪萨斯州是一个“受阻”的州。这意味着在选民登记中存在许多障碍。

None of the teenage candidates won their primary races on Tuesday.But they believe they inspired more young people to take part in elections and vote.

没有一个青少年候选人在周二赢得了初选。但他们相信他们鼓励了更多的年轻人参加选举和投票。 

Joseph Tutera said the state saw a higher turnout than usual for primary elections.

约瑟夫·图特拉说，在初选中，堪萨斯州的投票率高于平时。 

“We’re actually having something like the highest voter turnout in 14 years for the primaryand I’d like to think that’s because of me,” Tutera told VOA.

“我们实际上有14年来选民投票率最高的初选，我想这是因为我，”图特拉告诉美国之音， 

Jack Bergeson conceded the Democratic primary race Tuesday night.He said even though he did not win, he met many of his goals.

周二晚上杰克·伯格森在民主党初选中认输。他说即使他没有获胜，他也实现了很多目标。 

“I was able to stand on a stage and debate a lot of the big names in the stateand I was really able to show that there is a difference between the establishment and uncorrupted candidates,” Bergeson told VOA.

伯格森向美国之音说道：“我能够站在舞台上和该州的许多知名人士辩论，我也真的能说明权威人士和未受影响的候选人之间存在差异。”

Words in This Story

running mate - n. the person who runs with someone in an election (such as an election to choose a new president) and who is given the less important position (such as vice president) if they are elected

minimum - adj. the lowest number or amount that is possible or permitted

gubernatorial - adj. of or relating to the governor of a U.S. state or to the position of governor

concede - v. to admit that you have been defeated and stop trying to win

stage - n. a raised platform in a theater, auditorium, etc., where the performers stand