房子星期二中午过后不久开始投票以决定谁将是下一任议长——尽管到目前为止，投票已经为谁将最终获胜制造了更多的不确定性。
加利福尼亚州众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡正在第二次竞选众议院议长，但他面临着党内足够多的强硬派的阻力他没能抓住木槌在第一轮投票中，纽约州民主党领袖哈基姆·杰弗里斯以203票对212票当选。
十九名共和党人投票支持两位候选人;其中10人投票给亚利桑那州的安迪·比格斯，他是反对麦卡锡的抗议候选人。这是100年来第一次议长没有在第一轮投票中当选。
在令人失望的中期周期后，共和党人最初在新众议院以222比212的微弱优势占据多数，只有一个空缺。这意味着麦卡锡将需要218票，如果所有当选成员仍然存在，只能负担得起四个共和党叛逃-他目前正在努力应对十几个。
这位加州人已经做出了重大让步，尽管尚不清楚最终的投票结果如何。
众议院将继续投票，直到选出一名议长，因为没有其他事务可以进行。这就是事情的结局。
众议院议长是怎么选出来的?
议长在获得出席并投票的当选议员的多数票后当选。周二新国会开幕后，众议院书记员宣读了收到的选举证书的官方数字，这是用来确定多数的。
周二可以投票的434名众议院当选成员的简单多数是218票。然而，如果任何成员缺席，或者如果一些人投票“出席”而不是投票给特定的人，这个数字可能会改变，这将把他们排除在用于选择众议院议长的算法之外。
使用语音投票，而不是纸质或电子选票。
谁负责投票?
众议院书记员主持投票。
现任职员是谢丽尔·约翰逊，她是由即将离任的众议院议长南希·佩洛西宣誓就职的。约翰逊将继续担任职员，直到共和党选出新的职员。
如果麦卡锡得不到选票又没有议长怎么办?
由于麦卡锡在第一轮投票中没有成功，约翰逊很可能会重复进行唱名语音投票。可以进行多次投票，直到有一个人获得多数支持。
然而，如果麦卡锡无法在多次投票中获得足够的选票，众议院可能会在没有议长的情况下休会。
如果这一过程持续足够长的时间，众议院可以通过一项决议，以多数票批准一名议长——就像1856年发生的那样，经过大约两个月和133次投票——但鉴于共和党人的分歧和微弱的多数，这可能会给他们带来危险。
在没有扬声器之前，房子里会发生什么?
基本上什么都没有。
在为下届国会制定规则之前，众议院将对议长进行投票，因此，从立法者宣誓就职到立法投票，再到设立关键委员会，一切都将被搁置，直到问题得到解决。
除非众议院多数派另有提议，否则将允许书记员约翰逊继续为议长投票，约翰逊将在整个过程中一直担任书记员，直到选出议长。
这种情况可能会让即将上任的共和党多数派感到尴尬，他们将在众议院占据微弱优势，同时寻求对参议院民主党人和白宫进行检查，他们希望对他们进行调查。
导致僵局的有争议的议长投票也可能是共和党努力通过政府拨款和处理政府债务上限的预演，这是国会的关键义务，但也分裂了一些保守派。
谁不支持麦卡锡
最初表示不会投票给麦卡锡的五名共和党当选议员是亚利桑那州众议员安迪·比格斯(Andy Biggs)，他宣布了竞争对手的议长职位;佛罗里达州的马特·盖兹;弗吉尼亚的鲍勃·古德;蒙大拿州的马特·罗森戴尔和南卡罗来纳州的拉尔夫·诺曼。
此外，其他九名共和党人表示，他们还不确信麦卡锡应该成为议长:北卡罗莱纳州众议员丹·毕晓普;佐治亚州的安德鲁·克莱德;亚利桑那州的伊莱·克莱恩;亚利桑那州的保罗·戈萨;马里兰州的安迪·哈里斯;宾夕法尼亚州的斯科特·佩里和德克萨斯州的奇普·罗伊。佛罗里达州新当选的众议员安娜·宝琳娜·卢娜和田纳西州的安迪·奥格尔斯也属于这一群体。
除了这14人之外，还有5名共和党人最终没有在第一轮投票中投票给麦卡锡:科罗拉多州的劳伦·波伯特;新当选的俄克拉荷马州的乔希·布雷肯;得克萨斯州的迈克·克劳德;伊利诺斯州的玛丽·米勒和德克萨斯州新当选的基思·赛尔夫。
他们的反对理由是什么?
概括地说，那些发誓不支持麦卡锡的议员转而支持了一系列旨在削弱议长权力的要求——结果是，增加了其他议员的影响力。在这些规定中，有一个更容易使用的“动议让出椅子”来投票罢免议长。
立法者还寻求禁止领导层参与初选。
尽管如此，麦卡锡还是得到了大多数共和党人的支持
几乎所有的共和党会议都支持麦卡锡为议长，正如所见当他上个月赢得188票时成为共和党提名人，尽管比格斯反对。
“我认为他很有可能赢得议长职位，并在这一任期内一直担任下去。我认为这不会很难。他为该党筹集了创纪录的收入。他很擅长筹款。他走遍了全国，”一名众议院共和党人在10月份告诉ABC新闻。“这是他应得的。”
如果不是麦卡锡，那是谁?
有一些传言说，麦卡锡的二号人物，路易斯安那州众议员史蒂夫·斯卡利斯一直支持麦卡锡担任议长，如果需要替代人选，他已经准备好了。
虽然斯卡利斯继续支持麦卡锡，但多个消息来源告诉美国广播公司新闻，如果这种情况出现，斯卡利斯将对启动议长职位竞标持开放态度，麦卡锡的一些批评者对斯卡利斯赢得拍卖持更开放的态度。
麦卡锡的保守派批评者提出了团结在俄亥俄州众议员吉姆·乔丹周围的想法，乔丹是右翼众议院自由核心小组的联合创始人，尽管乔丹周一证实他支持麦卡锡，并寻求担任众议院司法委员会主席。
这有什么历史先例吗?
议长选举通常是平淡无奇的，在新一届国会的第一天就圆满结束。然而，投票有时需要多次投票。
在周二之前，最近一次超过一张选票的投票发生在1923年，当时弗雷德里克·亨廷顿·吉列在九轮投票后成为议长。
但是最长的投票发生在1856年，当时直到133次投票后才决定议长的职位。
这一过程历时两个月，马萨诸塞州的纳撒尼尔·普伦蒂斯·班克斯(Nathaniel Prentice Banks)在只担任了一届众议院议员后就被提拔为议长——尽管一项决议要求众议院允许他以多数票获胜，但这是议员们第二次做出这样的改变。
作为美国党的一员，他只担任了两年的议长。
For the first time in 100 years, House has to hold multiple speaker votes: How it works
The House began voting shortly after noon on Tuesday to determine who its next speaker will be -- though, so far, the vote has created more uncertainty around who will ultimately win.
House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California is making his second run at the speakership, but he is facing resistance from enough hardliners in his party that he failed to seize the gavel on the first ballot, with 203 votes to 212 votes for Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
Nineteen Republicans voted for neither nominee; 10 of those voted for Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a protest candidate against McCarthy. It's the first time a speaker hasn't been elected on the first ballot in 100 years.
Republicans, after a disappointing midterm cycle, initially hold a narrow 222-212 majority in the new House, with one vacancy. That means McCarthy will need 218 votes if all members-elect remain present and can only afford four GOP defections -- and he's currently grappling with more than a dozen.
The Californian has already offered significant concessions, though it remains unclear how the final votes will tally.
The House will continue to vote until a speaker is chosen as no other business can be conducted. Here's how it will play out.
How is the House speaker elected?
The speaker is elected after receiving a numerical majority of those members-elect who are present and voting. After the opening of the new Congress on Tuesday, the House clerk read the official number of certificates of election received, which was used to determine the majority.
A simple majority of the 434 House members-elect available to vote on Tuesday is 218 votes. However, that number could change if any members become absent or if some vote "present" instead of for a specific person, which would leave them out of the arithmetic used to choose the House speaker.
Voice votes are used, rather than paper or electronic ballots.
Who conducts the vote?
The House clerk conducts the vote.
The current clerk is Cheryl L. Johnson, who was sworn in by outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Johnson will remain the clerk until the GOP selects a new one.
What if McCarthy can't get the votes and there's no speaker?
Because McCarthy was not successful on the first ballot, Johnson will likely repeat the roll call voice vote. Multiple ballots could be called until there is majority support for one person.
However, if McCarthy is unable to get enough votes on multiple ballots, the House could adjourn without a speaker.
If the process goes on long enough, the House could approve a resolution to green-light a speaker by a plurality -- as happened in 1856, after some two months and 133 ballots -- but that could pose danger to Republicans given their divisions and narrow majority.
What can happen in the House before there's a speaker?
Essentially nothing.
The House votes for speaker before rules are set for the next Congress, so everything from swearing-in lawmakers to voting on legislation to setting up key committees will be put on hold until that is resolved.
Unless a House majority moves otherwise, all that would be allowed to happen is for Johnson, the clerk, to keep calling votes for speaker, and Johnson would remain clerk for the entirety of the process until a speaker is chosen.
Such a scenario would likely be an embarrassment to the incoming Republican majority, who will govern the chamber with a narrow hold while seeking to be a check on Senate Democrats and the White House, whom they hope to investigate.
A contentious speaker vote that leads to gridlock could also be a preview of Republican struggles to pass government funding and deal with the government's debt limit, which are key obligations of Congress but which divide some conservatives.
Who doesn't support McCarthy
The five Republican members-elect who initially said they wouldn't vote for McCarthy were Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, who announced the rival speaker bid; Matt Gaetz of Florida; Bob Good of Virginia; Matt Rosendale of Montana and Ralph Norman of South Carolina.
In addition, nine other Republicans had said they weren't yet convinced McCarthy should be speaker: Reps. Dan Bishop of North Carolina; Andrew Clyde of Georgia; Eli Crane of Arizona; Paul Gosar of Arizona; Andy Harris of Maryland; Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Chip Roy of Texas. Newly elected Reps. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and Andy Ogles of Tennessee are also among this group.
In addition to those 14, five other Republicans ultimately didn't vote for McCarthy on the first ballot: Lauren Boebert of Colorado; newly elected Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma; Mike Cloud of Texas; Mary Miller of Illinois and newly elected Keith Self of Texas.
What is their objection?
Broadly speaking, the members who have vowed not to back McCarthy have instead backed a set of demands that aim to shrink the power of the speaker -- and, as a result, increase the influence of other members. Among these stipulations is for an easier-to-use "motion to vacate the chair" to vote to remove the speaker.
The lawmakers have also sought a ban on leadership getting involved in primary elections.
Still, McCarthy has majority Republican support
Almost all of the GOP conference supports McCarthy for speaker, as seen when he won 188 votes last month to be the Republican nominee, despite Biggs' opposition.
"I think he's well situated to win the speakership and have it for the term. I don't think it'll be difficult. He has raised a record revenue for the party. He is great at fundraising. He's been all over the country," one House Republican told ABC News in October. "He's earned it."
If not McCarthy, then who?
There have been some rumors that McCarthy's No. 2, Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, who has been supportive of McCarthy for speaker, is ready if an alternative is needed.
While Scalise continues to back McCarthy, multiple sources told ABC News that if that scenario presents itself, Scalise would be open to launching a speakership bid and that some of McCarthy's critics are more open to Scalise winning the gavel.
Conservative critics of McCarthy have floated the idea of rallying around Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a co-founder of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, though Jordan confirmed Monday he's supporting McCarthy and is seeking to chair the House Judiciary Committee.
Is there any historical precedent for this?
The speakership vote is often an uneventful one, wrapping up neatly on the first day of a new Congress. However, the vote has at times taken multiple ballots.
Before Tuesday, the most recent vote to take more than one ballot occurred in 1923, when Frederick Huntington Gillett became speaker after nine rounds.
But the longest vote occurred in 1856, when the speakership wasn't decided until after 133 ballots.
The process, which took two months, catapulted Nathaniel Prentice Banks of Massachusetts to the speakership after he had only served one House term -- though a resolution required the House to allow him to win with a plurality, only the second time members had made such a change.
A member of the American Party, he served just two years as speaker.
