Constitution Week: the Electoral College

Members of the Sarah Riggs Humphreys-Mary Silliman chapter, NSDAR would like to remind everyone that September 17, 2026 marks the 239th anniversary of the signing of our national Constitution.

Seven Articles make up the Constitution: I – The Legislative Branch; II - The Executive Branch; III – The Judicial Branch; IV – States, Citizenship, New States; V – Amendment Process; VI – Debts, Supremacy, Oaths, Religious Tests; VII – Ratification

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The Electoral College is found in Article II and was designed for maximum fairness in representation. The College is currently made up of 538 electors: 435 representing the 435 members in the House of Representatives, 100 representing Senators, and 3 for the District of Columbia.

A candidate for President must receive 270 electoral votes to win. The 12th Amendment provides for the House to elect the President and the Senate the Vice-President in case of a tie in the Electoral College. Each state delegation gets one vote.

Why not use a national popular vote?

Some have argued that a national popular vote (NPV) would more accurately represent the sentiments of the voters. The founders knew that if NPV were implemented, first, all electoral votes of any state would go to the popular vote of that state. Because large cities contain more people, small towns and less populated areas effectively lose their voice. Second, no state would have a say in their voting process, such as recount triggers, ballot format, or residence requirements. Third, presidential campaigns would focus only in largely populated areas, ignoring the needs and goals of small towns and less populated cities.

Our founders possessed great wisdom in crafting a government structure to prevent a 'tyranny of the majority' and give everyone a fair voice!

The historic Sarah Riggs Humphreys-Mary Silliman chapter, Inc was founded in 1893. The DAR is a non-profit lineage society; any woman who is lineally descended from an ancestor who aided the patriot cause during the American Revolution may be eligible to join. For more information, visitsarahriggshumphreysDAR.org or reach out to srhmsregistrar@gmail.com.