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How many votes needed to become Speaker of the House?
Tell us everything we need to know to become a Speaker of the House.
Note: We've seen a lot of interest in this career, so we're looking for guidance from our community of professionals.
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2 answers
Jerry Tingstad
Professor/middle school teacher/48 years
57
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Jerry’s Answer
There are normally 435 members of the United States House of Representatives. In order become speaker one needs to secure an absolute majority (50% + 1) or 218 votes. Please note that some sites call this a "simple majority". A simple majority is just more votes than anyone else. Be very careful when terms are thrown around. Make sure the term is accurate.
At the moment, there are 433 members of the House. There are two open seats. So one would need 217 votes until the vacant seats are filled.
Tell everything you know about the Speaker? See Grant's answer as a start. But it's only a start. At least in the past, much of it has to do with personality, ability to work with others, especially the opposition.
Currently, that's all gone.
At the moment, there are 433 members of the House. There are two open seats. So one would need 217 votes until the vacant seats are filled.
Tell everything you know about the Speaker? See Grant's answer as a start. But it's only a start. At least in the past, much of it has to do with personality, ability to work with others, especially the opposition.
Currently, that's all gone.
Grant Conrad
Risk & Financial Advisory Analyst
25
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Grant’s Answer
Hi!
To become the Speaker of the House, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of the votes cast, which is typically 218 votes given that all 435 Representatives are voting. If all Representatives are not voting, the number could be less.
Here are some key steps to becoming the Speaker of the House:
1. Become a U.S. Citizen: The Constitution requires that the Speaker be a natural-born or naturalized U.S. citizen.
2. Get Elected to the House: Before you can become Speaker, you need to be elected as a Representative. This involves running a successful campaign in a congressional district.
3. Gain Experience and Build Relationships: The Speaker is usually a senior member of the House who has built strong relationships with other members. They often have experience serving on or leading major committees.
4. Be Nominated: To become Speaker, you must be nominated by your party's caucus or conference. This typically happens after each general election.
5. Win the Majority of Votes: Once nominated, you must win the majority of votes in a full House vote. If no candidate gets a majority, the vote is repeated until a majority is achieved.
6. Get Sworn In: After winning the majority of votes, you are sworn in as Speaker of the House.
It's important to note that while the Speaker is typically a member of the House, the Constitution does not explicitly require this.
The position of the Speaker of the House doesn't have a specific set of experiences required, but traditionally, individuals who have held this position have had:
1. Extensive legislative experience: This could be as a representative, senator, or in other governmental roles. Understanding the legislative process is crucial for this role.
2. Leadership experience: The Speaker of the House leads the entire House of Representatives, so previous leadership experience, like leading major committees or holding other significant roles within their party, is beneficial.
3. Strong relationships and reputation: Building strong relationships with other members of the House and maintaining a good reputation among peers is typically necessary to be nominated and elected as Speaker.
4. Knowledge of parliamentary rules and procedures: The Speaker is responsible for ensuring that the House follows all proper rules and procedures, so a deep understanding of these is important.
5. Policy expertise: The Speaker often plays a key role in shaping and guiding legislation, so having expertise in policy areas relevant to the current legislative agenda can be very valuable.
I hope this broad overview helps!
To become the Speaker of the House, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of the votes cast, which is typically 218 votes given that all 435 Representatives are voting. If all Representatives are not voting, the number could be less.
Here are some key steps to becoming the Speaker of the House:
1. Become a U.S. Citizen: The Constitution requires that the Speaker be a natural-born or naturalized U.S. citizen.
2. Get Elected to the House: Before you can become Speaker, you need to be elected as a Representative. This involves running a successful campaign in a congressional district.
3. Gain Experience and Build Relationships: The Speaker is usually a senior member of the House who has built strong relationships with other members. They often have experience serving on or leading major committees.
4. Be Nominated: To become Speaker, you must be nominated by your party's caucus or conference. This typically happens after each general election.
5. Win the Majority of Votes: Once nominated, you must win the majority of votes in a full House vote. If no candidate gets a majority, the vote is repeated until a majority is achieved.
6. Get Sworn In: After winning the majority of votes, you are sworn in as Speaker of the House.
It's important to note that while the Speaker is typically a member of the House, the Constitution does not explicitly require this.
The position of the Speaker of the House doesn't have a specific set of experiences required, but traditionally, individuals who have held this position have had:
1. Extensive legislative experience: This could be as a representative, senator, or in other governmental roles. Understanding the legislative process is crucial for this role.
2. Leadership experience: The Speaker of the House leads the entire House of Representatives, so previous leadership experience, like leading major committees or holding other significant roles within their party, is beneficial.
3. Strong relationships and reputation: Building strong relationships with other members of the House and maintaining a good reputation among peers is typically necessary to be nominated and elected as Speaker.
4. Knowledge of parliamentary rules and procedures: The Speaker is responsible for ensuring that the House follows all proper rules and procedures, so a deep understanding of these is important.
5. Policy expertise: The Speaker often plays a key role in shaping and guiding legislation, so having expertise in policy areas relevant to the current legislative agenda can be very valuable.
I hope this broad overview helps!