Image source, Getty Images

You'd be forgiven for wondering why, if Republicans can't agree on a Speaker, they can't elect a Democrat.

The short answer is: they could, but they won't.

The Democrats are throwing their weight behind Hakeem Jeffries - but as a member of the minority party he'll never get enough votes unless Republicans switch over to vote for him.

A politician in the House of Representatives needs the backing of the majority of the house - that 218 of the 435 members - to become Speaker.

Democrats hold 212 seats and it is highly unlikely that 6 Republicans will break ranks to back a Democrat candidate.

We got a bit carried away with the voting there and omitted the fact that Republican Lauren Boebert has made the case for Kevin Hern.

She began by saying she would keep her speech short, which received a chorus of cheers.

The House needs to look at "life after Kevin McCarthy", she said.

Image source, Reuters

It's a familiar picture by now - the clerk is counting the ninth round of votes.

Kevin McCarthy received 203 votes in the first round, and 201 in the eighth. His numbers appear to be going down.

Nominations for Kevin Hern (2) and Donald Trump (1) in the eighth round further muddied the waters.

In 1923, it took nine rounds and three days to vote in the Speaker - are records about to be broken, or will it be lucky number nine for McCarthy?

You guessed it - the Democrats go for Hakeem Jeffries again, while Republican Byron Donalds also gets the nod.

Jeffries got 212 votes and Donalds 17 in the eighth vote.

Will anything change on the ninth time of asking?

Holly Honderich
BBC News, Washington

Image source, Getty Images

I’m standing with a small huddle of other reporters outside the office of Representative Tom Emmer, which has become the command centre this week for Republicans’ increasingly desperate efforts to find a Speaker.

It’s been a revolving door of Republicans, pro- and anti-McCarthyites alike, and most have been quiet.

"We’re not even really talking about a deal,” said Scott Perry, one of McCarthy’s key opponents.

North Carolina’s Patrick McHenry, a McCarthy ally, was more upbeat, saying discussions were more productive than they have been in days.

Asked if he thought McCarthy’s opponents would flip, he replied: “Why do you think we’re talking?”

But it’s not nearly over, he adds: “We’re here until at least tomorrow and then we’ll see what happens."

Image source, Getty Images

With all this indecision going on, it's no wonder some people are taking to Twitter for some light relief.

Many have tweeted TV show memes of years passing by and the House clerk, Cheryl Johnson, has even developed a fan base. Some are crying out that she needs a raise after this voting saga.

Others are searching the web for some simple answers.

A top Google search question has been: "Why don’t they like Kevin McCarthy?" And another top question: "What’s wrong with Kevin McCarthy?"

We can offer answer to some of these questions here.

We can confirm the numbers we just gave you are correct.

Now Republican Kevin McCarthy is being nominated for a ninth time.

Image source, Reuters

The eighth vote to choose a House Speaker has now ended, with McCarthy losing for the second time today.

The unofficial tally is:

• McCarthy: 201
• Jeffries: 212
• Donalds: 17
• Others: 3
• Present: 1

218 votes are needed to become Speaker. We now wait to see whether proceedings will move into a ninth round of voting.

No business can be undertaken within the House - not even the swearing in of new members of Congress - until a Speaker has been chosen.

With Kevin McCarthy failing to win a majority, members of the House must keep voting until a winner emerges.

McCarthy has vowed to fight on even if he does not win immediately. And there is no other obvious candidate who could viably challenge for the speakership.

But having to hold this many votes to pick a Speaker is embarrassing - not only for McCarthy, but for the Republican party.

You can read more on why some Republicans are challenging McCarthy, here.

Image source, Reuters

An eighth round of voting for a US Speaker is under way. We know from experience that this will take about 45 minutes from start to finish, then we'll need to have the result officially declared.

So while we're waiting for that tally, here are a couple of things to dive into:

Why is this happening? A small number of Republicans don't want Kevin McCarthy to become Speaker. Here's our explanation of why.

What's next? Kevin McCarthy has offered some concessions. Is it enough to break the deadlock, and what happens if it isn't? Here are some of the possible scenarios.

Republican Kevin McCarthy appears to be on course to suffer defeat in the eighth vote for Speaker of the House.

Results of the latest ballot are currently being tallied, but more than five Republicans have now opposed his nomination.

That's been enough to derail the process in previous votes.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Even in the year 2023, the US House of Representatives sometimes likes to do things the old-fashioned way.

That's why, while the chamber has electronic voting with instantaneous tabulations projected on the wall above, the vote for speaker is being conducted by roll call, as a team of House clerks writes down the votes by hand, one by one.

Once the voting has concluded, the clerks retreat to a separate room to compare their recordings then announce the “official” results.

It may not be the most efficient way of conducting business, but it's certainly more dramatic.

Holly Honderich
BBC News, on Capitol Hill

Image source, Getty Images

Kevin McCarthy foe Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, has just told reporters how he thinks this stalemate ends.

Either McCarthy "withdraws from the race", he says, or Republicans will "construct a straitjacket" McCarthy is unable to escape, essentially stripping his powers as Speaker.

It's obviously an uninviting offer for McCarthy, but as he stares down an eighth vote that he is all but certain to lose, he may soon reconsider his options.

Voting is under way again - for the eighth time - as the House seeks to secure a Speaker.

Republican Byron Donalds is also back on the ticket for the eighth time alongside McCarthy and Jeffries.

Andy Biggs of Arizona is backing Donalds, who received just 19 votes in the seventh ballot.

Biggs denies this election is a "painful" or "embarrassing" process and instead calls it an "exchange of ideas".

Hakeem Jeffries has been nominated by the Democrats again.

Democratic Representative Katherine Clark has just delivered a speech in the House backing him, beginning by reading out 212, seven times - indicating the number of times Jeffries has received 212 votes in this marathon race to be Speaker implying that Democrats are in sync unlike their Republican colleagues.

But just to reiterate, it's unlikely that the Democrats will win the Speakership because they do not have a majority in the House.

So it's official, a Speaker has not been elected and voting will shortly get under way for an eighth time.

Kevin McCarthy is now being nominated again - this time by Florida Congressman Brian Mast.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from New York

Seven votes on, Kevin McCarthy is stuck in the same place he's been since the first: well short of the support he needs to become Speaker.

While the day began with reports of small progress, the rebellious faction of Republicans have shown no sign of letting up.

At some point, the Speaker vote will go to an eighth round. It's unclear if it will end any differently.

In the next round the clerks will have said the names 'Jeffries' and 'McCarthy' 1500 times.

After seven rounds we have 1412 votes cast for McCarthy, 1484 for Jeffries.

The seventh vote to choose a House Speaker has now ended, with McCarthy losing again.

The unofficial tally is:

• McCarthy: 201
• Jeffries: 212
• Donalds: 19
• Others: 1
• Present: 1

218 votes are needed to become Speaker. It's unclear when they will move into an eighth round of voting.