9.40 Myth about Perfection

The authors believe that their responses in this book to the numerous myths about the National Popular Vote compact establish that the compact would address the shortcomings of the current state-by-state winner-take-all method of awarding electoral votes, while handling conjectured adverse scenarios in a manner that is equal to, or superior to, the current system.

There is, however, no need to address the philosophical question as to whether the National Popular Vote compact is perfect. The test of whether the National Popular Vote compact should be adopted is whether it is a significant improvement over the current system of electing the President—not whether it is perfect. The authors of this book believe that they have made the case that the National Popular Vote compact is a significant improvement over the current system because it would remedy the current system’s three major shortcomings, namely

• Four out of five states and four out of five voters are ignored in presidential campaigns under the current system (as discussed in section 1.2.1);
• The current system does not reliably reflect the nationwide popular vote (as discussed in section 1.2.2); and
• Every vote is not equal under the current system (as discussed in section 1.2.3).