text: Currently, the candidates can completely ignore portions of our country. Republicans have a strongly biased voter base in the south - so much so that generally speaking, the Republicans never have a single rally or major ad. According source two, states like South Carolina almost never vote Democrat. It's so rare, that if you lost, you offended the group that has voted unquestioningly for your party since the system has been put into place. If the electoral college system didn't exist, the thirty percent of southern Democrats would have a say, which would make advertising and campaigning all over the country much more vital.