How is the Speaker of the House elected? - Hear me Out

[Justice]

From http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/memberfaq.aspx

"Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution states, 'The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other Officers.'

Although the Constitution does not require the Speaker to be a Member of the House, all Speakers have been Members.

When a Congress convenes for the first time, each major party conference or caucus nominates a candidate for Speaker. Members customarily elect the Speaker by roll call vote. A Member usually votes for the candidate from his or her own party conference or caucus but can vote for anyone, whether that person has been nominated or not.

To be elected, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of the votes cast—which may be less than a majority of the full House because of vacancies, absentee Members, or Members who vote "present." If no candidate receives the majority of votes, the roll call is repeated until a majority is reached and the Speaker is elected."

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Total House Seats 435
Republicans 246 -
(Freedom Caucus Seats are part of GOP seats - around 40 - but losing about 6 in election due to retirements/primary losses)

Democrats 186
Vacancies 3

Democrats would have to win 30 to take back the chamber. I've heard somewhere between 15-25 seats are in play. (RealClearPolitics has GOP favored to lose about 15 House seats). If Clinton wins big — because Republican voters stay home, or swing voters choose her party, or both — House Republicans will struggle to win re-election.

But what if Democrats don't win majority in House, what if they win 20 or more seats - and the GOP majority is razor thin.

How will new Speaker get elected? GOP has to nominate someone but vote is entire House. If GOP nominates someone who is not popular within GOP (or within more conservative wing of GOP) - might not have enough votes to win.

Democrats could vote for someone else - someone who is more moderate - maybe with support of small group of Republicans. Someone who would throw out the Hastert Rule.

There could be multiple rounds of voting.

Could be very interesting.

[TonyPDX]

1. They should "full-Nelson" the Hastert Rule, no matter who is elected Speaker.

[unblock]

2. this gets brought up, it seems with every new congess, but it never happens

the problem is that it might work as a one-time trick to get elected, but the problem is that the speaker then has to actually govern.

and is this republican speaker going to govern a bloc consisting of the entire democratic party and a minority of the republicans, when the republicans as a whole form a majority? no, democrats won't support a republican, and republicans won't support a speaker elected by the entire democratic party.

alternatively, would the divided republican party coalesce around this speaker despite the fact that they got elected with the help of democrats? no likely.

in practice, republicans will determine their own leader. there may be drama, and the speaker may not last long and get replaced, etc., but in the end the republicans will have to sort this out on their own.