sigh (okay, complete lack of self restraint: )
1. Abolish the electoral colleges. Have one gigantic bucket, put all the votes in there, count 'em up. Most votes wins.
(This is mostly to eliminate the "battleground states" phenomenon. Minority presidents are very rare.)
2. Once folks have got the hang of that, consider preferential voting. It's a bit complicated, but you can make giving preferences optional.
3. Can the process be shortened somehow? It takes a year and a half! Even I am getting bored already, I hate to think what it must be like inside the US.