IT IS OFTEN said that Americans love to work. Perhaps that is why they have made one of their fundamental obligations as citizens—voting—feel like work, too. A civically minded person in Houston, Texas, may already have voted six times this year. When voters in California cast their ballots in November, they will consider a wealth tax from three different angles(从三个不同角度). In Idaho, home to just 2m people, voters will elect 49 judges, a slew of county coroners and decide which of six firearms should become the state’s official gun.(在仅有200万人口的愛達荷州，选民将选举49名法官、一大批县验尸官，并决定六种枪械中哪一种应成为该州的官方枪支。)
常有人说美国人热爱工作。也许正因如此，他们把自己作为公民的一项基本义务——投票——也弄得像上班一样。在得克萨斯州休斯顿，一个有公民意识的人今年可能已经投了六次票。当加州选民在十一月投票时，他们要从三个不同的角度考虑一项财富税。在仅有200万人口的爱达荷州，选民将选举49名法官、一大批县验尸官，并决定六种枪械中哪一种应成为该州的官方枪支。
Much attention is paid to whether the rules of democracy are being broken. Donald Trump claims that American elections are marred(损害，破坏) by voter fraud, despite scant evidence(少量证据，不足的证据). This month his administration dispatched more than 250 federal investigators to probe Fulton County’s handling of the 2020 election, which he lost.(本月，他的政府派遣了250多名联邦调查员去调查富尔顿县对2020年选举的处理——那次选举他输掉了。) But there is a more prosaic(平淡的，乏味的) question: does America’s voting system make sense? No other rich democracy hands as many decisions directly to its people.
人们非常关注民主规则是否被打破。唐纳德·特朗普声称美国选举因选民欺诈而受损，尽管证据寥寥。本月，他的政府派遣了250多名联邦调查员去调查富尔顿县对2020年选举的处理——那次选举他输掉了。但有一个更平淡的问题：美国的投票系统是否合理？没有哪个其他富裕民主国家像美国一样，将如此多的决定直接交给人民。
Americans are expected to vote for judges, sheriffs, coroners and school-board members. Through ballot initiatives they also weigh in on(对…发表意见) everything from whether actors in pornographic films must wear condoms to arcane(晦涩的，神秘的) details of prescription-drug pricing. The assumption is that more voting makes for a healthier democracy.(假设是更多的投票会促进民主更健康。) But ballots of biblical length(圣经般长度的选票) often do the opposite, making government less efficient and less accountable(负有责任的，应负责任的).
美国人被期望投票选举法官、警长、验尸官和学校董事会成员。通过公民投票倡议，他们还能就各种事务发表意见，从色情电影演员是否必须戴避孕套到处方药定价的晦涩细节。这种假设是：更多的投票会促进民主更健康。但圣经般长度的选票往往适得其反，使政府效率更低、问责更少。
