When the constitutional architects of the United States got together, they came up with a crazy plan: “What if we count everyone in the country and allocate political representation that way?”(当年美国的制宪者们聚在一起时，想出了一个疯狂的计划："如果我们把全国每个人都数一遍，然后按这个来分配政治代表权，会怎么样？")
当年美国的制宪者们聚在一起时，想出了一个疯狂的计划："如果我们把全国每个人都数一遍，然后按这个来分配政治代表权，会怎么样？"
It was a radical(激进的，根本性的) act. Until then, censuses had been used by kings to levy(征收（税）) taxes and conscript(征召入伍) men into war. With the penning of article 1, section 2 of the US constitution, being counted ensured that states would get financial resources and political representatives.(随着美国宪法第一条第二款的写就，被统计在册就意味着各州能获得财政资源和政治代表席位。) Congress was tasked with(受命负责) building the processes to anchor(使固定，锚定) representation to the population. People wanted to be counted. And politicians wanted their people to be counted more.
这是一项激进的举措。在此之前，人口普查一直是国王用来征税和征兵的工具。随着美国宪法第一条第二款的写就，被统计在册就意味着各州能获得财政资源和政治代表席位。国会受命建立相关程序，把代表权牢牢锚定在人口之上。人们希望自己被统计进去，而政客们则更希望自己那一方的人被统计进去。
For more than a century, professionals at the US Census Bureau have built protocol(规程，协议)s and established norms to resist partisan(党派的，有党派偏见的) interference. Scientists and other experts work together to make the best data possible so that democracy can function. But many of their systems are being upended(被掀翻，被颠覆) and challenged by “Jenga politics”.
一个多世纪以来，美国人口普查局的专业人员建立了一整套规程和规范，以抵御党派干预。科学家和其他专家通力合作，力求产出最优质的数据，让民主得以运转。但他们建立的许多制度，正被"叠叠乐政治"掀翻和冲击。