The intention was for state legislatures to nominate electors who would then vote for president.

It wasn't until mid 1800's that states started elections (of electors) by popular vote. Note: still through an elector proxy.

Also this is not a government run by popular vote, it is a mixture of state and population based government and also representation democracy not direct democracy.

In The Federalist Papers, James Madison explained his views on the selection of the president and the Constitution. In Federalist No. 39, Madison argued that the Constitution was designed to be a mixture of state-based and population-based government. Congress would have two houses: the state-based Senate and the population-based House of Representatives. Meanwhile, the president would be elected by a mixture of the two modes.

The fact that people feel that states shouldn't have equal say and equal power is to me a huge breakdown of society.

Having California run the entire country would be a nightmare.