The electoral college criticism from within the United States is understandable but it's worth understanding the historical reasoning. In 1787 the framers had genuine concerns about direct national popular vote: communication and information infrastructure were primitive (no national media or polling), there were concerns about large states dominating small ones, and there was distrust of direct democracy among the constitutional architects who were largely classical liberals worried about mob rule. The resulting system made sense given those constraints. Whether it makes sense in a modern context with national media, universal suffrage, and two dominant parties that have sorted geographically — that's the legitimate debate. What's harder to argue is that a system where five states determine most presidential elections serves the democratic ideal well.
by amitrao366