[RowdyFFC]

Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives are elected by their respective parties in a closed-door caucus by secret ballot and are also known as floor leaders. [1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_leaders_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives

Handicapping a Durbin-Schumer face-off would be tough, even for members of the Senate. They vote for their leader by secret ballot. Larry Sabato, who heads the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, says the senators often go into the balloting with a majority pledged to support them but lose anyhow. “Politicians are very good at fibbing to people’s faces,” Sabato explains. “The logical thing to do is to tell both candidates for majority leader that you’re for them.”

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/May-2010/Dick-Durbin-v-Chuck-Schumer-Battle-for-Senate-majority-leader-spot/

However, if it’s done by secret ballot, how did we know that 17 democrats did not vote for Pelosi, including Gabby Giffords??? Something whizzed by that said Andrea Mitchell reported on it?

[org.whodat]

they have a closed vote in the caucus to see who is where, then they have an open vote on the floor. But the matter is decided before the floor vote, the speaker election, when the gavel changes hands, that is the open vote. This year it was boner vs newts friend.