JessFR, I don't really understand how the electoral college serves to prevent tyranny of the majority (which I agree is very important to do). Protecting minorities on principle is important (and if it's done right it is most definitely not undemocratic to do so), but afaik (and I'm not even American mind you) the electoral college does precisely not do that, but instead favours one minority in particular, namely the rural population. This is absolutley undemocratic and I don't see what redeeming features there are.
Well yes, as you said it does favor certain types of minorities over another. The attribute I largely support over the electoral college is that it increases the relative power of the votes of certain areas like rural areas, but that's the thing. Rural areas and similar generally have smaller populations. It is also true to say that people have a tendency to hemogenize their politics with their closest neighbour's. Cities tend to lean more left, and rural areas more right. They have different priorities, different life experiences on which to base their values.
If we used a pure direct vote, the cities, and by extension that point of view would always have greater voting power. And other areas would go under recognized.
Way I see it, the electoral College allows for a more equal representation between opinions at the expense of a more strict democratic system. And given the majority can still be wrong, sometimes even the substantial majority, I think that's reasonable.
Now, it's probably true to say that my own beliefs more closely align with urban hemogeny than rural, so I am probably part of the group disadvantaged by the electoral college. But way I see it, we are already advantaged by numbers. So I don't see that as particularly unfair.
The other thing is, the electoral college results in a deviation from the majority vote pretty rarely. It always understandable stings people when it does in their disfavor. But it's not super common. It only happens when the vote is already pretty close.
On the other hand, I am pretty politically moderate. I don't tend to want either side to go without strong challange. So one could argue that my support of the electoral college, like anyone else, is in my political favor. Just in a broader sense at the expense of specific policies I might support. I probably more lean Democrat, but I have no desire to see them win every time or go without strong opposition.