@Spatzie, the mechanics of the U.S. Electoral College are pretty interesting. The use of the Electoral College helps ensure equal representation on a state-by-state basis.
In other words, without an Electoral College, you’d find that the results of voting in the most populous states (like California, New York, Florida) would dominate presidential picks year after year. Matter of fact, you’d likely see the majority of campaign visits and political ads focused on those areas exclusively. (Doesn’t sound like a bad thing, when I put it that way.)
No system is perfect, which is why we we’re seeing a lot of drama recently, where swing states get an inordinate amount of attention. However, the upside is that the candidates must carry their campaigns around much more of the country.