Why only 217 votes needed to elect a Speaker of the House?

[Lance_Turbo]

I posted this in a different thread.

@Lance_Turbo

There are currently two house vacancies.

Dave Cicilline (D-RI) resigned May 31, 2023. There is a special election to replace him scheduled November 7, 2023.

Chris Stewart (R-UT) resigned September 15, 2023. No special election scheduled yet.