Does the electoral college promote or hinder political participation?

The electoral college does not hinder political participation, in my opinion. I would argue that in fact, it promotes it, since it allows the citizens to indirectly vote for the president and vice president via their electors. The process is as follows: first, the political parties present their nominees for the electors. Then, the nominees are either chosen by the party's central committee or through party conventions.
Next, the nominees are approved on election day by popular vote. Depending on state laws, the list of nominees is usually tied to the presidential candidate, meaning that when the public votes for a certain presidential candidate, they are also voting for the electors. Currently, there are a total of 538 electoral votes; the winning candidate needs 270. Once the electors have been selected, they cast their votes in their respective states. The counting of the electors' votes is done by Congress, which then declares the winner.
https://www.archives.gov/electoral-college/about

https://www.archives.gov/electoral-college/allocation

https://www.archives.gov/electoral-college/electors