Interesting points...Do you feel there is a need for the Electoral College, at all?
Absolutely. I've posted on that point many times over the decades.
First, it is the keystone of federalism. People have come to think of the President as the ruler of the people, but that is wrong. The governors of the several states are the rulers of the people, since the states are the sovereign entities that ratified the Constitution that formed the federalism we have today.
The President is the executive of the federation of states. Prior to the 17th amendment, Congress was established to be bicameral, with the House representing the people of the states and the Senate representing the state legislatures. That's why the people voted directly for their Representatives and the legislatures appointed their Senators as "ambassadors" to represent their respective states' interests to all the others. The President acted on behalf of all the states for foreign affairs, the national defense, and managing interstate interests.
To this end, the Electoral College is the forum where the states sent delegates to choose the President of the federation, leaving their respective state legislatures and governors to manage the day-to-day affairs of the people. That's why the Electoral College is made up of people who do not hold any other office of the United States or of the states.
Second, as has been pointed out by many over the years, the Electoral College is a firewall against voter fraud. "Excess" ballots cast in one state are contained to that state, as only the Electoral College votes and NOT the "popular vote" elects the President.
And third, the Electoral College ensures that ALL the states have a say in the selection of their federal executive, and not just the states with the most populous cities. This ensures that the President has multi-regional appeal and will not favor one city over another, or one state over another.
In short, with the post-17th amendment turning the Senate away from representing their states and towards representing their party bloc interests, the Electoral College is the only thing remaining that gives states any meaning at all. Without the Electoral College, states would devolve into nothing more than administrative districts, super-counties, if you will, and the President might as well be king.
-PJ