 The issue was one of the last major issues to be resolved , and was done so in the electoral college . At the time , before the formation of modern political parties , there was widespread concern that candidates would routinely fail to secure a majority of electors in the electoral college . The method of resolving this problem therefore was a contested issue . Most thought that the house should then choose the president , since it most closely reflected the will of the people . This caused dissension among delegates from smaller states , who realized that this would put their states at a disadvantage . To resolve this dispute , the Convention agreed that the house would elect the president if no candidate had an electoral college majority , but that each state delegation would vote as a bloc , rather than individually . 
