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News headlines and live video feeds have been focused on U.S. Congress this week, specifically the U.S. House of Representatives, where lawmakers continue to debate – and vote – on who should serve as the next Speaker of the House for the upcoming 118th United States Congress.
Here's a quick look at what the Speaker of the House position does:
What does the U.S. Constitution say about Speaker of the House?
Article 1, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution focuses on the House of Representatives and briefly mentions the speaker position: "The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment."
What does the Speaker of the House do?
The House Speaker serves as the "House’s presiding officer, party leader, and the institution’s administrative head, among other duties," according to the U.S. House of Representatives website. That person is also part of the official presidential line of succession, and part of the announcement process is unable to perform their duties, due to death, illness, disability (25th Amendment).
Where does Speaker of the House fall in the presidential order of succession?
The Speaker of the House of Representatives is third in line in the presidential order of succession, following the vice president.
How is the House Speaker chosen?
"The Speaker is elected at the beginning of a new Congress by a majority of the Representatives-elect from candidates separately chosen by the majority- and minority-party caucuses. These candidates are elected by their party members at the organizing caucuses held soon after the new Congress is elected," the House's website reads.
If the position becomes unexpectedly vacant – person chosen dies, resigns, or is removed – the House majority elects a new speaker from pool of candidates previously chosen.
How many people have served at Speaker of the House?
According to House.gov, 54 people have served as U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The first was Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania who was elected on April 1, 1789, and served in the role until 1791. The most recent was Nancy Pelosi of California, who became the first female speaker, and served in the role from 2007-2011, and again from 2019-2023.
Is it common to have multiple votes – or ballots – for speaker of the house?
According to the U.S. Office of Art & Archives, the House of Representatives has elected a speaker 127 times since 1789. Of those 127 times, 14 – soon to be 15 – have required multiple rounds of voting.
The 34th Congress (1855-1857) took the longest to elect a speaker – 133 rounds of voting. In the end, Nathaniel Prentice Banks was elected speaker.
The 31st Congress (1849-1851) had 63 rounds of voting before eventually electing Howell Cobb.
The 36th Congress (1859-1861) had 44 rounds of voting before electing William Pennington.
And the 16th Congress had 22 rounds of voting before electing John W. Taylor. That vote was held after Speaker Henry Clay resigned, according to the House's history webpage.