I love having to explain the purpose of the electoral college to both ignorant Americans whose civics teachers failed them and blissfully ignorant foreigners who don't understand the nuances of America's representative democracy.
During the framing of the constitution, sparsely populated states didn't want to be run rampshod by heavily populated states. The framers made the electoral college system to reduce the impact of populous states and raise the impact of less populous states so everyone gets an equal voice. Without it, you would get heavily populated states like New York and California dictating policy for the rest of the country.
America isn't nor was it ever a democracy but a republic. If and when the country abolishes the electoral college is when America balkanizes.
In short, it is by design. Think of it as affirmative action for less populous states.
During the framing of the constitution, sparsely populated states didn't want to be run rampshod by heavily populated states. The framers made the electoral college system to reduce the impact of populous states and raise the impact of less populous states so everyone gets an equal voice. Without it, you would get heavily populated states like New York and California dictating policy for the rest of the country.
America isn't nor was it ever a democracy but a republic. If and when the country abolishes the electoral college is when America balkanizes.
In short, it is by design. Think of it as affirmative action for less populous states.