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Three days, 11 rounds of voting and countless popcorn emojis later, and the vote to determine to the next Speaker of the House is still no closer to a result.

Now this centuries-old legislative procedure is suddenly must-see TV. How long can it go on? Who will challenge Kevin McCarthy next?

Here are our answers to some of the internet’s most pressing questions.

On Thursday, a vote was cast not for Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives, nor for any other member of Congress, but for Donald Trump, the former US president.

Mr Trump has backed Mr McCarthy for Speaker. But that did not stop dissident Florida congressman Matt Gaetz from casting his symbolic protest ballot for the former president. This left many wondering… can they even do that?

Technically, yes. The Speaker can be anyone in the United States.

However, it is highly unlikely. It has never before happened that anyone aside from a sitting member of the House was voted in as Speaker. Anyway, Mr Trump was nowhere near the 218 votes he would need to win.

Mr McCarthy has made history, but for all the wrong reasons. For the first time in a century, someone vying for the role of House Speaker has not won in the first round of voting.

It was in 1923 that Frederick Gillet was elected to the post after several days and nine ballots. The longest deadlock before that was resolved in 1860 after 44 rounds of ballots.

But the all-time record was in the 1855-56 election, which is commonly viewed as the most contentious speaker stand-off in American history.

On that occasion, it took 133 ballots over the course of two months until Nathaniel Banks became House Speaker in the 34th Congress.

Mr Donalds and his Democratic counterpart Hakeem Jeffries made history this week in becoming the first black members of Congress ever nominated for the post of Speaker.

Mr Donalds is a Trump supporter, a staunch opponent of abortion and strident advocate of gun ownership.

The father-of-three, who was raised by a single mother, has previously spoken about how he turned his life around after a drugs arrest as a young man.

The 44-year-old congressman, who has served two years in the House, voted against certifying Joe Biden’s presidential victory in 2021.

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 Mr McCarthy failing to win a majority, members must keep voting until a winner emerges.

Mr 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 – so far, no Republican challenger has got more than 20 votes.

Matt Gaetz has been one of the leading forces behind the effort to block Mr McCarthy. Like many of the 20 Republican holdouts, some of his objections are political.

The Florida congressman has called for concessions on the way the House of Representatives operates, he’s reportedly lobbied for a chairmanship on the powerful House Armed Services Committee and called for a special, well-funded panel to investigate the FBI and other government agencies.

With Mr Gaetz, however, the objections to Mr McCarthy seem personal. He has sharply condemned the California congressman for already moving into the Speaker’s office, calling him a “squatter” and labelled him “the biggest alligator” in the Washington swamp.

Some of Mr Gaetz’s animus towards the House Republican leader could stem from his feelings that Mr McCarthy did not sufficiently come to his defence when he was the target of a House ethics probe and justice department investigation into allegations of sex trafficking – an investigation that was dropped last year.

Ms Johnson, the 117th US House Clerk who has led these proceedings, has become an unlikely celebrity in the political drama paralysing the House. In the House this week, some members have accidentally called her Madam Speaker, instead of Madam Clerk.

Ms Johnson, a New Orleans native with a law degree, was first named clerk in 2018 by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The nomination followed two decades in the House, working as an aide to both Democrats and Republicans.

The little-known position is elected by lawmakers every two years when the House gathers for a new Congress. The job is mostly administrative, with duties like certifying the passage of all bills and resolutions by the chamber.

There are history-making moments too: Ms Johnson was twice tasked with hand-delivering articles of impeachment against Mr Trump.

If used effectively, the position of Speaker of the House is one of the most powerful in Washington.

Depending on the partisan makeup of Congress, the Speaker can make or break a US president’s agenda, hinder the opposition and spearhead their party’s biggest legislative initiatives.

The Speaker is both traditionally and historically a sitting member of the majority party in the House. But this is not a constitutional requirement.

The Speaker has near-total control over the chamber. They set the House’s legislative agenda, control committee assignments, set the vote and work calendar, and are responsible for keeping their party members unified behind major initiatives.

The Speaker of the House is elected by simple majority of the voting members of the House. In this case, that means the Speaker must get 218 votes, or half (plus one) of the 435 elected members of the House.

Although the House has had electronic voting since 1973, the Speaker ballot is traditionally done by roll call. Each representative is called by name, and they say who they are voting for out loud. Votes are then tallied by the House clerk.

Technically, you only need the support of half of the elected members who vote for a candidate by name to succeed. What this means is a Speaker could be elected with fewer than half of the total members if some of them do not show up to vote or they abstain (by calling “present”, rather than the name of a candidate).

A few Republicans have voted “present” so far, making it slightly easier for Mr McCarthy to get a majority – but not enough to make a real difference.

It had been three days of one failed vote after another for the Speaker of the US House, and the roomful of lawmakers were worn down into weary resignation. As Representative French Hill of Arkansas stood up to once again nominate Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, he started with a thank you.

“Let me express my deep appreciation, and appreciation of everybody in this room, for the work you’re doing Madame Clerk,” he said.

The House responded with a standing ovation – a rare display of bipartisanship and even rarer enthusiasm after a grinding few days in the chamber. Someone shouted: “Johnson for Speaker!” to rousing laughter.

Standing in position at the front of the chamber, House Clerk Cheryl Johnson clasped her hands, smiled politely and carried on.

Ms Johnson, the 117th US House Clerk, has become an unlikely celebrity in the political drama paralysing the House. And with her calm and firm demeanour, Ms Johnson and her gavel have at times felt like the only defence against total dysfunction.

Some House members this week have accidentally called her Madam Speaker, instead of Madam Clerk.

And Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California tweeted Thursday: “She’s been extraordinary without any rules passed and in having some sense of fairness and order.”

In ordinary times, the clerk is a little-known position, elected by lawmakers every two years when the House gathers for a new Congress. The job is mostly administrative, with duties like delivering messages to the US Senate and certifying the passage of all bills and resolutions by the chamber.

And every two years, when a new Congress convenes for the first time, the clerk is put in charge of the House until it has elected a Speaker.

Normally, this job lasts for mere minutes. But the Republicans’ failure to select a speaker has left Ms Johnson in charge for three full days, and counting.

Ms Johnson, a New Orleans native who has a law degree from Howard University, a historically black college in Washington DC, is one of only four women to hold the title and the second African American in the role.

She was first named clerk in 2018 by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The nomination followed two decades in the House, working as an aide to both Democrats and Republicans.

“Cheryl Johnson embodies commitment to public service,” Mrs Pelosi said at the time. “We are thrilled that she will be returning to the House.”

There are history-making moments too: Ms Johnson was twice tasked with hand-delivering articles of impeachment against former President Donald Trump.

In 2020 and again in 2021, she led House impeachment managers to deliver the documents to the US Senate.

What Ms Johnson is doing this week is no easy task. Without a House Speaker, or any members actually sworn in, there are technically no official rules to abide by.

This means Ms Johnson has had to enforce order with nothing but her microphone and lacquered maple gavel.

In one memorable episode, she was forced to intervene when Republican Representative Kat Cammack of Florida complained that Democrats were celebrating the Republicans’ drama.

“They want us to fight each other,” Ms Cammack side of the Democrats, adding, seemingly in jest: “That has been made clear by the popcorn and blankets and alcohol that is coming over there.”

Democrats shouted and demanded the false claim about alcohol be struck from the record. But without rules in place, Ms Johnson could only wait, strike her gavel, and offer a gentle rebuke.

“The clerk would ask all members-elect to abide by the established decorum of the House,” the clerk said, standing in front of the large and vacant Speaker’s chair.

This especially weighty week for Ms Johnson has not seemed to come with any added glamour.

The clerk’s office is across the hall from that of Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who’s office has become the de facto host for Republican negotiations.

The coincidence means that Ms Johnson’s office door has, for days, been consistently blocked by a flock of journalists in search of developments.

Even after this brief stint as Capitol Hill celebrity, Ms Johnson’s tenure may soon come to an end.

The next candidate for clerk will be put up by the next House Speaker – whoever that may be.