瓜分選票
Terry Gou, the billionaire founder of Foxconn, ran a short-lived independent presidential bid in Taiwan between late August and mid-November of 2023.
在2023年8月下旬至11月中旬，富士康創辦人、億萬富翁郭台銘以無黨籍身份短暫競選台灣總統。
billionaire(n.)億萬富翁millionaire(n.)百萬富翁founder(n.)創辦人found-founded-foundedshort-lived(adj.)短暫的bid(n.)努力爭取
However, he dropped out of the race at the eleventh hour before officially adding his name to the ballot.
然而，他在正式登記參選前的最後一刻退出了選戰。
drop out of~退出at the eleventh hour在最後一刻ballot(n.)選票cast a ballot投票=cast a vote
Had Gou gone through with his campaign, he would have been the first independent presidential candidate to run in Taiwan since James Soong did so in the 2000 election.
如果郭台銘堅持參選，他將成為自2000年宋楚瑜參選以來，首位無黨籍台灣總統候選人。
Had Gou gone through with...與過去事實相反的假設=If Gou had gone through with...go through with sth.完成某事run for...競選...
While independents do hold the highest political offices in some nations, politicians who run for president without political party affiliation can face difficulties winning.
雖然在一些國家，獨立候選人確實能擔任最高政治職務，但沒有政黨背景的政治人物在競選總統時要勝選可能會有困難。
office(n.)官職affiliation(n.)隸屬(關係)、從屬關係
This is especially true in political systems that are dominated by only a few established parties — like in the United States and Taiwan.
這在美國和台灣等僅由少數幾個老牌政黨主導的政治體制中，尤為明顯。
dominate(v.)主宰、支配established(adj.)確立的、地位穩固的
Even so, independent presidential candidates can affect the outcomes of elections.
即便如此，無黨籍的總統候選也能影響選舉結果。
even so即便如此
In a direct electoral system, like the one in Taiwan, each vote matters.
在台灣這樣的直選制度中，每一張選票都很重要。
electoral(adj.)選舉的electoral debate選舉辯論matter(v.)要緊;重要
Therefore, an independent running for president can actually act as a “spoiler candidate,” drawing “votes from a major candidate with similar politics.”
因此，無黨籍總統候選人實際上可以充當「攪局者」，「從政見相近的主要候選人那裡吸收選票」。
spoiler(n.)攪局者spoil(v.)破壞
Called “vote splitting,” this electoral effect increases the chance of a dissimilar candidate being elected due to votes for similar candidates being more evenly distributed, thus weakening the chance of one of them winning.
這種選舉效應被稱為「瓜分選票」，由於相似候選人的選票分佈更均勻，因此削弱其中一人勝出的機會，增加了政見不同的候選人當選的機會。
split(v.)分割、瓜分due to因為=owing to=as a result ofdistribute(v.)分佈、分配、分發evenly distributed分佈均勻的
In fact, in the 2000 Taiwan election, Soong leaving the Kuomintang and running as an independent split the KMT vote. As a result, the Democratic Progressive Party’s Chen Shui-bian won the election.
事實上，在2000年的台灣選舉中，宋楚瑜離開中國國民黨，以無黨籍身份參選，瓜分了國民黨的選票，結果讓民進黨的陳水扁贏得了選舉。
in fact事實上=in reality
Despite this somewhat negative effect of independents running for president, there are benefits as well.
儘管無黨籍人士參選總統有一定的負面影響，但也有好處。
despite(prep.)儘管=in spite ofbenefit(n.)好處
Among them are independent candidates being able to introduce new political ideas, offer more choices to voters, influence major political parties to embrace a greater diversity of issues, and initiate collaboration between major parties.
其中包括無黨籍候選人能夠引入新的政治理念，為選民提供更多選擇，影響主要政黨接納更多樣化的議題，並促進主要政黨之間的合作。
embrace(v.)欣然接受、接納a diversity of多樣的、多元的initiate(v.)開始、開啟collaboration(n.)合作=cooperation