How many House members are required to vote for impeachment to pass against a president?
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Executive summary
The U.S. House of Representatives requires a simple majority of those voting to adopt articles of impeachment—effectively "more yea than nay" among members casting votes—which in a full 435-member House normally means at least 218 affirmative votes if all vote [1]. If members vote "present" or some seats are vacant/absent, the numerical threshold shifts to a simple majority of those actually voting, not of the full membership [2] [1].
1. What the Constitution and practice require: a simple House majority
The Constitution gives the House sole power to impeach and does not set a fixed numeric threshold; by long-standing practice and House rules that power is exercised by a simple majority vote on articles of impeachment or on a resolution referring articles to the Judiciary Committee — meaning more "yeas" than "nays" among members voting [1]. Congressional offices and members routinely state that only a simple majority in the House is necessary to impeach and that conviction in the Senate is a separate two‑thirds requirement [1] [3].
2. Why the commonly quoted 218 figure matters — but only when all 435 vote
When all 435 Representatives participate, a simple majority equals 218 votes. That arithmetic is why news coverage and campaign rhetoric often cite "218 votes to impeach" as the operating benchmark. Sources emphasize, however, that absences, vacancies, or "present" votes change the denominator; the requirement is a majority of votes cast, not of the full membership [1] [2].
3. How "present" votes and tabling motions affect outcomes
House business can be shaped by procedural votes. The recent episode involving Rep. Al Green’s impeachment resolution shows mechanics at work: the House voted to table the resolution 237–140 with 47 voting "present," effectively killing the measure [2]. Those 47 "present" votes lowered the number of affirmative votes available to supporters without counting as "yea" or "nay," which changed the practical arithmetic of whether an impeachment resolution could pass [2] [4].
4. The political calculus: numbers versus norms
Members and leaders treat impeachment as both a constitutional remedy and a political decision. Democratic leaders in the cited episode chose to vote "present" rather than back a forced floor vote, arguing that impeachment should be preceded by investigation and due process — a strategic judgment as much as a legal one [4] [5]. That choice illustrates that even when a numerical majority could be assembled, party strategy, norms, and risk calculations often determine whether a House will pursue impeachment [4] [5].
5. What happens after the House votes: the Senate’s higher bar
If the House adopts articles of impeachment by a simple majority, the matter moves to the Senate for trial. Conviction and removal from office in the Senate require a two‑thirds majority, a substantially higher threshold — a fact noted in multiple congressional explanations and press pieces [1] [3]. The House’s simple-majority power to impeach does not itself remove an official; it simply refers the case to the Senate.
6. Recent practice and reportage underscore procedural nuance
Coverage of the June–December 2025 impeachment efforts shows reporters and members emphasizing both the simple-majority rule and the practical impacts of procedural votes. Reporting on Al Green’s resolution highlights that tabling votes, present votes, and party leaders’ choices can determine whether an impeachment measure even reaches a decisive floor vote or is effectively quashed [2] [6] [4] [5]. Congressional roll-call records document the specific tallies used to make those outcomes official [7].
Limitations and open points
Available sources do not provide verbatim constitutional text or a single House rule citation establishing "simple majority" language; instead, contemporary congressional offices and news outlets explain the practice and consequences in operational terms [1] [2]. Sources used here document recent votes, statements by members and leaders, and explanatory material from House offices and reporting, and they present competing viewpoints — some lawmakers arguing immediacy and accountability, others urging investigation and process [4] [5].
Bottom line: legally and by practice, the House needs only a simple majority of votes cast to impeach; in a full, unanimous House that is 218 votes, but the effective number can be lower when members vote present or do not vote, and political strategy often determines whether the House attempts impeachment even when the arithmetic might allow it [1] [2] [4].