How many seats are needed for a majority and to override a presidential veto in the House?
Executive summary
A majority in the 435-member U.S. House of Representatives requires 218 seats (a simple majority of 435) to control the chamber (Republicans held at least 218–220 seats in recent counts cited) [1] [2]. Overriding a presidential veto requires a two‑thirds vote in each chamber—i.e., two‑thirds of members voting in the House on the question of override—so practically at least 290 votes if all 435 members vote, but the constitutional test is two‑thirds of those voting, not two‑thirds of the full membership [3] [4].
1. What "majority" means in the House and the 218 threshold
Control of the House is determined by which party can command a simple majority of members present and sworn; with a full House of 435 members a majority is 218 seats, which party leaders have repeatedly cited as the number needed to hold the speakership and set the floor agenda [1] [2]. Multiple contemporary sources reporting House composition after the 2024 elections note Republicans held a slim majority in the 119th Congress—various tallies list 218, 219 or 220 Republican seats as the working majority depending on vacancies and special‑election timing [1] [5] [2]. Those small differences reflect real‑time vacancies and special election scheduling; control is about reaching the 218 mark when the chamber is at full strength and members are voting [6] [7].
2. How the veto override rule actually works — two‑thirds of those voting
The Constitution and congressional practice require a two‑thirds vote in each chamber to override a presidential veto; procedural guidance and historical analyses emphasize the test is two‑thirds of the Members voting on the question in each house, provided a quorum is present [4] [3] [8]. Official CRS and Archives materials and House historical pages repeat the same standard: an override “can become law if two‑thirds of the Members voting in the House and the Senate each agree” [3] [9]. The Supreme Court has interpreted that to mean two‑thirds of a quorum, not necessarily two‑thirds of the full membership [8].
3. Translating two‑thirds into raw vote counts
If all 435 members vote on an override, two‑thirds of 435 is 290 votes; so practically an override in a full‑strength House requires 290 aye votes if no members abstain [3] [10]. But since the constitutional and statutory language ties the threshold to those voting rather than the full membership, the numerical requirement can be lower if some members are absent or abstain—Congressional practice counts two‑thirds of those present and voting so long as a quorum exists [8] [11]. Sources stress Congress can only act when a quorum is present, and override votes are recorded and require that two‑thirds margin among votes cast [3] [4].
4. Political reality: rare and difficult to achieve
Historical data and institutional histories make clear veto overrides are rare: presidents have issued thousands of vetoes across history while overrides occur in a small minority of cases (the House history and CRS analyses cite overrides at under 5% historically) [12] [11]. Practically, party leaders gauge whether they “have the votes” before forcing an override vote—if the originating chamber fails to reach two‑thirds the other chamber never considers it—so overrides are both a mathematical and a political hurdle [3] [11].
5. Where ambiguity and timing create real‑world effects
Two frequent sources of confusion are vacancies and the “two‑thirds of those voting” language: vacancies lower the number of members but do not change the legal test (it’s still two‑thirds of votes cast), and absences or abstentions reduce the raw number of aye votes needed but leave override difficulty intact because party unity is required [7] [8]. Also, the pocket veto exception—when Congress adjourns so the president cannot return a bill—cannot be overridden; that procedural wrinkle is distinct from the two‑thirds override rule and can render a veto absolute in practice [12] [13].
6. Bottom line for activists and journalists
If someone asks “how many seats to control the House?” the operational answer is 218 of 435 for a simple majority when the chamber is at full strength [1] [2]. If the question is “how many votes to override a presidential veto?” the legal requirement is a two‑thirds vote in the House (and in the Senate); that equates to 290 votes if all 435 vote, but the constitutional formula is two‑thirds of members voting, so the raw number can be lower if fewer members cast votes [3] [4]. Available sources do not mention any alternative numeric override threshold beyond the two‑thirds‑of‑votes standard.