Splitting electoral votes

In short, I think it is a good idea, unless getting rid of the electoral system is on the table in which case I would favor that. However, I agree with this student editorial that the proposal on the table for NC might not be best due to the possibility to encourage evermore gerrymandering.

But the main reason I wanted to post on this is regarding one of their later points: that splitting the votes would diminish our electoral power. This is where the students on the edit board show that they are indeed students as splitting electoral votes would actually serve to increase our current electoral power. Which states have electoral power? California? Texas? They hold a ton of electoral votes, but have little electoral power. Why? They are in the bag for their respective political parties, so nobody pays attention except to raise funds.

The real powerhouses are Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Wisconsin, and Michigan. These states have significant numbers of electoral votes, and are generally up for grabs. If North Carolina was made to be more of a "swing state" by putting some of its electoral votes in play, then politicans would have more of an impetus to campaign in the state.