It's official: GOP votes itself two more years of kicking John Boehner around

[onenote]

3. More than one, could have been two or three. Can't be sure at this point.

According to the Clerk of the House, to be elected Speaker, "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."

Since only 433 members were sworn in at this point, 217 would have taken the speakership if no one voted present. I have yet to see a breakdown of the vote that indicates how many, if any, "present" votes were cast. If there were five "present" votes, then the number needed to be elected would be 215. Plus, under House rules and procedures, there are ways for a member to "change" his or her vote at the last minute. Will have to see what the final total ends up to know for certain what the margin was.