The electoral college really was just a logistical decision imo.

It wasn't, though. It was carefully crafted to artificially inflate the representation of the slave states (since each state gets 1 vote per House rep, with House reps being apportioned according to the Three Fifths Compromise). A popular vote for landowners only would probably have been feasible, but that would have ensured that the non-slave states would take and hold the presidency immediately.