It's less about rural votes and more about population. Electoral votes per state are based on population not population density, but with an additional 2 each.

It's less about rural votes and more about population. Electoral votes per state are based on population not population density, but with an additional 2 each. That tips the scale in favor of states with smaller populations. E.g. Rhode Island and Idaho both have 4 electoral votes, but Rhode Island is certainly not rural. Idaho also has a population of 1.8 million compared to 1.0 million in Rhode Island, so technically Rhode Island voters have more voting power than their rural counterparts in Idaho. Anyways these are just cherry picked states; my point is that the Electoral College is designed to give a disproportionate vote to smaller states, not rural states.