Passing a bill in the House takes a simple majority of the members present and voting. When every one of the 435 seats is filled and every member votes yea or nay, that means 218 votes in favor.1house.gov. The Legislative Process The number can be lower when attendance is lower, and a handful of specific procedures raise the bar to two-thirds instead.
Why 218 Isn’t Always the Number
“Simple majority” is a majority of the members actually on the floor casting a yea or nay, not a fixed count of 218. The raw number moves with attendance.
Before any vote can be taken, the House needs a quorum. The Constitution sets that at a majority of the total membership, which is 218 when there are no vacancies.2Constitution Annotated. Constitution Article I Section 5 – Proceedings3U.S. Government Publishing Office. House Practice: A Guide to the Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House – Chapter 43 Quorums If seats are empty because members have resigned or died, the quorum drops, because it is calculated from members sworn and living. With only the bare minimum of 218 present, a bill could theoretically pass with as few as 110 yes votes.
A few more wrinkles change the math:
- Members who vote “present” count toward the quorum but not toward the yea-or-nay tally, which lowers the number of yeas needed to win.4U.S. Government Publishing Office. House Practice: A Guide to the Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House – Section: Voting by the Chair
- A tie loses. The rule is more yeas than nays, so an even split defeats the measure.4U.S. Government Publishing Office. House Practice: A Guide to the Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House – Section: Voting by the Chair
- The Speaker isn’t required to vote on most questions but may do so at any time, not only to break a tie.4U.S. Government Publishing Office. House Practice: A Guide to the Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House – Section: Voting by the Chair
The House also generally presumes a quorum exists throughout the legislative day. Any member can challenge that presumption with a point of order, forcing a quorum call. If fewer than the required number are present, voting stops until enough members return.2Constitution Annotated. Constitution Article I Section 5 – Proceedings
When Two-Thirds Is Required Instead
Suspension of the Rules
House leadership uses an expedited track called suspension of the rules, governed by Rule XV, for legislation expected to draw broad support. It skips the normal committee process and limits debate, but in exchange the bill needs two-thirds of members present and voting rather than a simple majority.5U.S. Government Publishing Office. Constitution, Jefferson’s Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives – Rule XV With every member voting, that works out to 290 yeas.
The Speaker decides which bills move on this track. Most are routine items like naming post offices or making technical corrections. A bill that falls short under suspension doesn’t die. It goes back to the regular process, where it needs only a simple majority.3U.S. Government Publishing Office. House Practice: A Guide to the Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House – Chapter 43 Quorums
Overriding a Presidential Veto
If the president vetoes a bill, the House can still enact it, but only with two-thirds of those present and voting. The Supreme Court has confirmed that the two-thirds figure refers to two-thirds of a quorum, not two-thirds of the full 435-member body.6Congress.gov. Constitution Annotated – Article I Section 7 Clause 2 The Senate must clear the same bar. If either chamber falls short, the veto stands.
Proposing a Constitutional Amendment
Sending a proposed constitutional amendment to the states for ratification requires a two-thirds vote of members present in both chambers.7Congress.gov. ArtV.1 Overview of Article V, Amending the Constitution As with a veto override, two-thirds is measured against those present given a quorum, not against the full membership.8Government Publishing Office. Constitution of the United States Analysis and Interpretation – Article V
Expelling a Member
The House can remove one of its own, but a two-thirds vote is required. The high threshold prevents a bare partisan majority from ousting an elected representative, and historically expulsion has been reserved for the most extreme misconduct.9Constitution Annotated. Article I Section 5 Clause 2 – Rules
Impeachment Uses a Simple Majority
One common source of confusion: impeaching a federal official in the House takes only a simple majority, the same threshold as passing a bill. The House acts like a grand jury, voting on whether to bring formal charges. Conviction and removal require a two-thirds vote in the Senate, but that later step is separate from the House’s role.10U.S. Senate. About Impeachment
Voice Votes Versus Recorded Votes
Not every vote produces a count. The presiding officer can call for a voice vote, in which members shout “yea” or “nay” and the chair judges which side was louder. Most uncontroversial business moves this way, and no individual vote is recorded.11US House of Representatives: History, Art and Archives. Voting
Any member can demand a recorded vote instead, and certain business requires one automatically. In a recorded vote, each position is logged, typically through the electronic voting system. When people ask how many votes it takes to pass something, they’re usually asking about a recorded vote, where every yea and nay is counted against the majority threshold.11US House of Representatives: History, Art and Archives. Voting