What would be the ramifications if the United States had a direct election for president instead of the electoral college?

If the electoral college were eliminated, then the voices
of the populace of the smaller states would be substantially diminished. Candidates for
President would be inclined to spend most of their time and resources in the Northeast
and West Coast. The Midwest, South, and other parts of the country would be virtually
ignored. The framers of the Constitution created the Electoral College not only to
preserve the sovereignty of the individual states; but also to see that the smaller
states had some voice in the election of the President. Obviously, the vote in the
electoral college is heavily weighted toward the larger states, as it should be; but the
smaller states are not totally eliminated. Every election year, there are vociferous
voices calling for the elimination of the electoral college; and every election those
voices fall silent. After over 200 years, the best argument for the Electoral College is
that it works quite well.