# Can a petition determine who becomes the next Speaker of the House? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 6, 2026, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582 "2026-11-06T20:06:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![r3bdr355](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/r3bdr355/32/19843_2.png) [@r3bdr355](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/r3bdr355)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/1 "2026-11-06T20:06:25Z")
So I don’t know if anyone has seen this anti-Jefferies petition going around in their socials like wildfire.: [Petition · House Democrats: CHOOSE A NEW SPEAKER - United States · Change.org](https://www.change.org/p/house-democrats-choose-a-new-speaker) What chance does this petition have on succeeding? I’m starting to think this is nothing but a grift. And a racist one at that. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/2 "2026-11-06T20:08:57Z")
You’re asking if a petition on [Change.org](http://Change.org) can legally require the House to choose a certain speaker? No. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/3 "2026-11-06T20:12:11Z")
What is the grift? I don’t see any request for money. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/4 "2026-11-06T20:14:43Z")
I don’t see any overt racism, either. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/5 "2026-11-06T20:17:34Z")
The webpage says of the petition starter, “Nicole Whitted is a Change Ambassador who receives compensation in connection with this petition.” I admit that I have no idea how the compensation process works. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/6 "2026-11-06T20:18:29Z")
WTF? Who is paying people to start online petitions? It’s not like it requires a set of specialized skills. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/7 "2026-11-06T21:00:26Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > You’re asking if a petition on [Change.org](http://Change.org) can legally require the House to choose a certain speaker? No. Exactly this. There is no mechanism for any sort of petition or mandate from voters to directly influence the naming of a candidate for the Speakership. It’s entirely an internal matter within the Democratic House Caucus to name their candidate. Now, if a petition had a huge number of signatories, _maybe_ some in the caucus might pay attention to there being a groundswell of anti-Jeffries sentiment. Maybe. OTOH, I suspect that it is probably way too easy for an online petition to be gamed by bots or a relatively small number of actors. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/8 "2026-11-06T21:00:28Z")
I think there’s absolutely zero chance the new House reelects Mike Johnson as the Speaker, so I guess this petition is an easy win. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/9 "2026-11-06T21:01:59Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > I think there’s absolutely zero chance the new House reelects Mike Johnson as the Speaker, so I guess this petition is an easy win If you read the petition to which the OP links, that’s not what it’s about at all. It’s trying to get the Democratic House Caucus to hold an open election (within the caucus, I assume), rather than just nominating Jeffries. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/10 "2026-11-06T21:03:17Z")
They chose a poor top line then. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/11 "2026-11-06T21:03:24Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Exactly this. There is no mechanism for any sort of petition or mandate from voters to directly influence the naming of a candidate for the Speakership. It’s entirely an internal matter within the Democratic House Caucus to name their candidate. Technically, the entire House elects the Speaker; it’s not just the choice of the party in control. In theory, and perhaps in more cooperative times, the selection might be someone preferred by people on both sides of the aisle. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/12 "2026-11-06T21:04:57Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Technically, the entire House elects the Speaker; it’s not just the choice of the party in control. Which is why I specified “naming of a _candidate_.” The way it will almost undoubtedly work is that the Democrats will name a candidate, the Republicans will name a candidate, and the newly-elected Representatives will vote along party lines. The only time it doesn’t work this way is if there’s dissent within one of the parties – as happened in 2023, when Johnson was eventually named, after Kevin McCarthy was ousted, and after numerous failed attempts to elect a speaker, due to a group of hardlline GOP reps. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/13 "2026-11-06T23:01:24Z")
## How it works 1. In order to be considered for selection, Change Ambassadors must be based in the US, and have an engaged audience of 100,000+ across active social media channels, podcasts, and/or newsletters. 2. Change Ambassadors choose the issue, write, and publish their own [petition](https://help.change.org/getting-started/how-to-start-a-petition) on any given subject within our Community Guidelines. 3. Change Ambassadors earn an upfront payment based on their audience size and have the opportunity to earn additional income based on petition performance. 4. [Change.org](http://Change.org) offers strategic petition advice when applicable to Change Ambassadors and other high-performing petition starters. All petitions on the platform have opportunities for [amplification](https://help.change.org/billing-membership/promoting-a-petition). I say grift. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/14 "2026-11-06T23:11:16Z")
> [@r3bdr355](#): > > I’m starting to think this is nothing but a grift. Correct. The lady who started the petition is part of the [Change.org](http://Change.org) Change Ambassador program which means she gets about 30 to 50 cents per signature. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/15 "2026-11-06T23:11:57Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > WTF? Who is paying people to start online petitions? It’s not like it requires a set of specialized skills. [Change.org](http://Change.org) is, and to participate you need to be a content creator with a big enough platform. They’re paying you to drive your audience to their site. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2026, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/16 "2026-11-06T23:40:35Z")
They ain’t dropping Jeffries. For some reason I have to keep saying that. A Black Speak after a blue wave, even a tidal wave? Nope, nope, nope. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/18 "2026-11-07T01:24:39Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > They ain’t dropping Jeffries. Yeah, for real. And some of the attacks on Jeffries are pretty unhinged. “AIPAC Shakur”? Where did this nakedly racist Blue MAGA bullshit come from? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/19 "2026-11-07T01:37:01Z")
Horseshoe theory in action. Go too far on any side of the spectrum and you wind up at antisemitism. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/20 "2026-11-07T02:10:10Z")
Doesn’t Change.org have a political direction they want to move in? The “How it Works” makes it sound like any petition would or could be paid for, regardless of what it was for. It seems like there ought to be something between step 2 and step 3 about evaluating the petition for a desirable outcome, but I don’t see anything like that. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2026, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-petition-determine-who-becomes-the-next-speaker-of-the-house/1034582/21 "2026-11-07T02:52:53Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Doesn’t [Change.org](http://Change.org) have a political direction they want to move in? No? Why would they? They’re just a business, providing a platform for hosting petitions. [https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2012/10/17/activism-for-profit-change-org-makes-an-impact-and-makes-money/](https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2012/10/17/activism-for-profit-change-org-makes-an-impact-and-makes-money/) Historically there have been more left wing polls than right wing ones just because of the nature of the site, but it’s always been a neutral for profit platform.