Why do delegations vote on a deadlocked electoral college and not congressmen?

[Tekken_Guy]

Why do delegations vote on a tied electoral college rather than congressmen?

[Skill and Chance]

Hmmm... at the time the 12th Amendment was debated and ratified, it was expected that most future presidential elections would be decided by the House.  After the 1801 reapportionment, it would have been possible for someone to be elected president with support in only VA, PA, NY, and MA (in fact, they would have 3 votes to spare!) using a standard majority vote in the House.  It is not surprising to me that the other states would not sign on to that. 

[zorkpolitics]

We live under a Constitution of a federal Republic with shared sovereignty between the states and the Federal Government, voting in the House for President by state delegations reinforces that this is a federal Republic.  It makes it harder for a popular majority to gain control of the Presidency without also having control in a majority of the  states (which is of course what the Electoral College does as well)