"If the president were elected by simple majority vote then small states would be overpowered by large states. Thanks to the electoral college the interests of small states are protected."

Okay but... what are the "interests of small states"? Do small states have a consistent set of certain political interests that are clearly distinguishable from the interests that big states have? Do people who live in small states categorically believe or care about different things than people who live in big states do?

Conservatives like to talk about "small states" as if that isn't a category that includes both Vermont and Wyoming.