the electoral college is a good thing (this coming from a guy who lives in the state where that matters the least). Without the EC, presidential candidates could pretty much ignore any non-urban voters, which would be severely damaging to rural areas. The genius in the Electoral College is that it increases the amount of the country which the candidates must appeal to. Living in a rural area, I understand this. However, when I was living in a more densely populated area, I (like you) didn't understand this.