This is not an effect of the electoral college, but because almost all states apply a first-past-the-post system to allocate all EC votes. If it was done on proportional basis instead, the map would look more "normal"
The bizarre effects of the electoral college on political behavior. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2004#/media/File:2004CampaignAttention.png …pic.twitter.com/eJUtaM6cD8
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EC is pointless without FPTP, so I used them interchangeably (neither exists in most countries). But you are right, I was not precise.
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Being precise is difficult even w 280 chars! :). But are you sure EC is pointless w/o FPTP? A vote in Delaware or Wyoming is still worth almost 3 votes in CA, NY or TX.
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EC is not needed for using non-unity vote weights. UK also has FPTP but doesn't have anything EC-equivalent. But you are right, if the states switched to PR for their EC votes, the issue seen in the map would mostly vanish.
End of conversation
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Bizarre? Any less bizarre if only TX, CA and NY showed up on these maps in a popular vote contest? Obviously, the electtoral college approach involves a more diverse set of voters, so it must be the much better choice.
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