<P> The Constitution does not require the Speaker to be an elected member of the House of Representatives, although every Speaker thus far has been . The Speaker is second in the United States presidential line of succession, after the Vice President and ahead of the President pro tempore of the Senate . </P> <P> The current House Speaker is Congressman Paul Ryan from Wisconsin . He was elected to the office on October 29, 2015, and is the 54th person to serve as Speaker . On April 11, 2018, Ryan announced he will not seek re-election in the 2018 mid-terms, and will also relinquish the office of Speaker when his term ends in 2019 . </P> <P> The House of Representatives elects the Speaker of the House on the first day of every new Congress and in the event of the death, resignation or removal from the Chair of an incumbent Speaker . The Clerk of the House of Representatives requests nominations: there are normally two, one from each major party (each party having previously met to decide on its nominee). The Clerk then calls the roll of the Representatives, each Representative indicating the surname of the candidate the Representative is supporting . Representatives are not restricted to voting for one of the nominated candidates and may vote for any person, even for someone who is not a member of the House at all . They may also abstain by voting "present". </P> <P> Although no rule exists, based on tradition and practice from the earliest days of the nation, to be elected speaker a candidate must receive an absolute majority of all votes cast for individuals, i.e. excluding those who abstain . If no candidate wins such a majority, then the roll call is repeated until a speaker is elected . The last time repeated votes were required was in 1923, when the Speaker was elected on the ninth ballot . </P>

Who votes for speaker of the house of representatives