They don’t count towards the quorum. They don’t count at all. Speaker needs a majority of the votes cast, not the majority of members.
It’s all she needed though.
Pelosi is good at getting just the votes needed while preserving some Dems, who are from Purple or Red areas, from having to vote for her.
It was a common election ploy of GOP candidates, they would say this Dem or that would be nothing but an extension of Pelosi, which plays well in some parts of the country. So a few Dems in more vulnerable areas pledged never to vote for her.
Thats all well and fine, as long as she gets just a little more than needed, those Dems were free to vote as they needed to. If she needs those guys later on, they know she has their back.
It’s a strength she has that GOP Speakers often fail to master, making sure she has the votes and taking care of her caucus. Anything more than 220 is overkill.
