And certainly would create fun tests. But do you suggest California’s electors, after having signed an oath to cast their ballots based on the rules of the compact, would plan, in secret to violate the oath and follow the California popular vote? And get away with it?

I am not studied in just what the rules are on Presidential election ballots. On your ballot is the name of a Presidential candidate, but the reality is you are chosing a slate of electors in today’s system. (I’ve seen ballots though of course have never voted here.) The constitution has rules on popular votes for the slate of electors (giving blacks and women votes, forbidding poll taxes etc.) but I am not sure how much it demands that there be a popular vote of the electors at all.

But I don’t see a secret conspiracy here — or the amalgam of decentralized conspiracies. There are lots of places with large popular votes, and they have fraud of course, but is it really more risky than the US system where fraud in an Ohio or Florida can make such a big difference for the amount of work you put in.

One of the more documented attempts at vote influencing involved denying minority voters in Florida voting rights because of real or imagined past felony convictions. This was not secret, but locally it could make a difference. Could it be done so easily nationally?