WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is trying to secure the final votes she needs to become speaker again ahead of a preliminary vote Wednesday that will serve as a test of her standing among fellow Democrats.

House Democrats will hold a secret-ballot vote to determine who they want to put forward as their speaker candidate when the new Congress meets in January.

The San Francisco Democrat is expected to handily win a majority of her caucus, but the vote will display the strength of the opposition she faces from rebellious Democrats who say she should clear the way for new leadership.

Winning on Wednesday is just the first step. Pelosi will need to get about 218 votes on the House floor in January. Since Republicans are expected to vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Pelosi will need the vast majority of the approximately 233 Democrats — depending on a few uncalled races — to support her. That gives her a margin of about 15 Democrats who could vote against her.