Posted on 01/04/2015 8:13:13 AM PST by justlurking
I thought this would be useful for people to read, as it explains the process of electing the Speaker of the House, and historical precedents. I want to call your attention to this particular section on page 4:
The data presented here cover the period during which the permanent size of the House has been set at 435 Members. This period corresponds to that since the admission of Arizona and New Mexico as the 47th and 48th States in 1912. The actual size of the House was 436, and then 437, for a brief period between the admission of Alaska and Hawaii (in 1958 and 1959) and the reapportionment of Representatives following the 1960 census.
By practice of the House going back to its earliest days, an absolute majority of the Members present and voting is required in order to elect a Speaker. A majority of the full membership of the House (218, in a House of 435) is not required. Precedents emphasize that the requirement is for a majority of “the total number of votes cast for a person by name.” A candidate for Speaker may receive a majority of the votes cast, and be elected, while failing to obtain a majority of the full membership, because some Members either are not present to vote, or vote “present” rather than voting for a candidate. During the period examined, this kind of result has occurred four times:
Also, in 1931 (72nd Congress), the candidate of the new Democratic majority, John Nance Garner of Texas (later Vice President), received 218 votes, a bare majority of the membership. The table does not take into account the number of vacancies existing in the House at the time of the election; it therefore cannot show whether or not any Speaker may have been elected lacking a majority of the then qualified membership of the House.
Speakers of the House: Elections, 1913-2013 Congressional Research Service 2 • in 1917 (65 th Congress), “Champ” Clark (D-MO) was elected with 217 votes; • in 1923 (68 th Congress), Frederick Gillett (R-MA) was elected with 215 votes; • in 1943 (78 th Congress), Sam Rayburn (D-TX) was elected with 217 votes; and • in 1997 (105 th Congress), Newt Gingrich (R-GA) was elected with 216 votes. Also, in 1931 (72 nd Congress), the candidate of the new Democratic majority, John Nance Garner of Texas (later Vice President), received 218 votes, a bare majority of the membership. The table does not take into account the number of vacancies existing in the House at the time of the election; it therefore cannot show whether or not any Speaker may have been elected lacking a majority of the then qualified membership of the House. 2 If no candidate obtains the requisite majority, the roll call is repeated. On these subsequent ballots, Members may still vote for any individual; no restrictions have ever been imposed, such as that the lowest candidate on each ballot must drop out, or that no new candidate may enter. Because of the predominance of the two established national parties throughout the period examined, only once during that period did the House fail to elect on the first roll call. 3 In 1923 (68 th Congress), in a closely divided House, both major party nominees initially failed to gain a majority because of votes cast for other candidates by Members from the Progressive Party, or from the “progressive” wing of the Republican Party. Progressives agreed to vote for the Republican candidate only on the ninth ballot, af ter the Republican leadership had agreed to accept a number of procedural reforms favored by the progressives. Thus the Republican was ultimately elected, although (as noted earlier) still with less than a majority of the full membership.
Hmmm, sorry about that. It looks like I pasted in the same text twice. The original document is a PDF, and sometimes copying from the document grabs more than you intend....
So if all the Dems vote for Pelosi, and the Republican vote is split among several candidates, and Pelosi, gets the majority, does that mean she is speaker? And if that unfortunate occurrence should happen, can the Republicans call for a revote?
If all the Republicans split among different candidates and all the Democrats vote for Pelosi, she still doesn’t have a majority.
But, if enough Democrats abstain or vote present, Boehner can be elected despite Republican votes for other candidates.
“And if that unfortunate occurrence should happen, can the Republicans call for a revote?”
My understanding, correct me if I’m wrong, is that the House can get rid of an unwanted minority candidate, so Pelosi would not remain Speaker. However, any member can vote for any party. So, if the Democrats want Boehner Nancy can ask them all to vote for him and he’ll win regardless of the conservative Republicans who vote for their preferred candidate. Politics is a dirty business.
If *all* the Democrats vote “present”, that would just about guarantee Boehner’s re-election.
More info on this tactic, here....
Rep. Louie Gohmert Announces Run for Speaker of the House
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3243384/posts
....There is false information being floated that any Republican candidates in addition to the current Speaker will split the vote and give the Speaker’s gavel to Congresswoman Pelosi. This is nothing but a scare tactic to keep the current regime in power.
As long as Republicans vote for an adult American citizen for Speaker, no Democrat can win. Only if 59 Republicans voted “Present” would there be a chance for a Democrat to win.
To win the Speaker’s race, an adult American citizen has to get a clear majority of all Members of Congress on the House floor voting for an eligible person. Voting “Present” simply reduces the number of votes required to win a majority. If no one wins a majority on the first ballot, then we go to a second vote, then a third, until someone gets a majority.....
Called our congressman, throw Burner out.
...... The Republican Party absolutely knew they had to work as a team to defeat and replace Speaker Boehner .... So when the vote for the Speaker of the House was held ... they cohesively worked together as a well co-ordinated team .... and voted to keep him as Speaker.
..... Yeah ..... It's like Deja-vu all over again.
To answer your second question: the rules of the House says "A Speaker may be removed at the will of the House". It's never been done, but it only requires a majority vote to do so.
She won’t have the majority of the house only the majority (all) of the Democrats. so NO she won’t have won.
Thanks for the research. Would like to see more about what happened during the period when the Republican Party replaced the Whigs but that would be hard to find I think.
“Progressives agreed to vote for the Republican candidate only on the ninth ballot, after the Republican leadership had agreed to accept a number of procedural reforms favored by the progressives.”
This is the key most people are missing.
Boehner should make a deal with conservatives- give them x, y, z for their vote for Speaker- and he just won’t do it. It’s insane and only happens because the media is so afraid of losing money if conservatives reduce the government borrowing and spending that supports consumer spending.
Good point. It’ll be entertaining to watch. The House of Kabuki is quite good when it comes to entertainment value, I’ll give them that.
“As long as Republicans vote for an adult American citizen for Speaker, no Democrat can win. Only if 59 Republicans voted “Present” would there be a chance for a Democrat to win.”
Louie Gohmert explains that there is no way for Pelosi to get elected unless the Republicans vote ‘PRESENT’ (or directly for Pelosi). The only reason for RINOs to vote present would be out of spite and it takes 59 RINOs to do it.
Gohmert will be on Glenn Becks show at 9am EST tomorrow to discuss with Glenn...
Boehner sets the record for lowest votes.
That makes him “an historical figure” LOL!
He only had 209 votes when I thought the election was over.
Ended up with 216 though. So continues his very un-historical pattern.
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