What are some arguments for and against the electoral college?
As originally conceived, in addition, the electors were supposed to be wise, older, upstanding citizens of their states who were meant to choose not merely the most popular or charismatic candidate but also the most upstanding and overall best person. (This advantage is no longer relevant in many ways simply because electors are usually required to vote in accordance with the popular vote of their respective states.) In addition, when the United States was founded, it was a very, very large country that took weeks upon weeks to travel across by stage coach and later by train. It was not practical or realistic to hold one single national popular-vote election on such a large scale, so the Electoral College (whose members meet in the state capitals of each state to cast their votes) allows elections to be managed locally. Then, you needed send only one person to Washington, DC, with the results. (Again, this advantage is obviated by modern technologies.
