Given all of the hullabaloo about the electoral college being a deliberative body, it is interesting to note that Alexander Hamilton had realized that it did not work.
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Federalist was propaganda to encourage ratification of the Constitution. It was not an analysis or explanation. We don't know whether Hamilton believed that the electoral college would, could, or should be deliberative. Remember, he was a lawyer, a trained dissembler.
But by 1800 he realized it was not deliberative. In the 1800 election he campaigned for the Federalist Adams/Pinckney ticket. All but one elector voted for the same pair of candidates. Interestingly, this happened whether the electors were popularly elected or chosen by the legislature. You might expect a legislature to align on partisan lines. Some legislatures did in fact choose a mix of electors, some voting for Adams, and some voting for Jefferson. But even in those states, every Adams elector also voted for Pinckney; and every Jefferson elector also voted for Burr.
After Jefferson and Burr tied in the electoral college, the choice between Jefferson and Burr devolved onto the House of Representatives. But this was the lame duck House, elected in 1798 and 1799. It was dominated by Federalists (the newly elected Congress was dominated by Democratic-Republicans) but they would not take office until March 1801, and not actually meet until December 1801. There was intrigue to elect Burr, since the Federalists regarded Jefferson as the more dangerous man. But Hamilton used his influence to prevent this from happening.
He later proposed this version of the 12th Amendment.
It would have provided for popular election of electors. Rather than using congressional districts, it used electoral districts, which was the usual practice among states that chose electors by district. The CD+2 at-large elections of Maine and Nebraska are very much a 20th Century constructions.
Perhaps recognizing the national character of the election, the amendment provided that Congress would draw the electoral districts, and also provide the mode of election. Government-printed ballots would not come into place until much later, so there would not have been explicit pledging, but elections would have been partisan just like those for Congress were becoming.
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