Gary Poster, with essential assists from Galyn Norwood, Phiroon Phihakendr, Jose Quijada, Pavandeep Kalra. They were divided. Some wanted Congress to pick the president. Others wanted the citizens to choose directly. The electoral college was the compromise.
States decide how they're chosen, but usually they are loyalists chosen by their parties.
An elector is chosen for every electoral vote available to a state. Electors can't hold federal office. Some celebrities have been electors, like Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow. This year they include the Florida attorney general, a retired school administrator in Ohio and a computer specialist in Arizona. This year that falls on Dec. 18.