Pope Leo XIV Submits Mail-In Ballot in Illinois, First Pope to Vote in US Election

2.8 · 1d ago · US

The Facts

  • Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, is the first American-born pope and is described as the first pope to vote in a U.S. election. ✓6 · Fox News, NBC News, CBS News, DW, SCMP, Al Jazeera
  • The Vatican press office confirmed on Friday that Pope Leo XIV submitted a mail-in ballot in Chicago ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. ✓5 · Fox News, CBS News, DW, SCMP, Al Jazeera
  • Prevost requested a mail-in ballot on Oct. 3; the Will County, Illinois, clerk's office chief of staff Kim Fladhammer confirmed this to the Chicago Sun-Times and NBC News. ✓5 · Fox News, NBC News, CBS News, DW, Al Jazeera
  • The Vatican statement said the pope voted as a U.S. citizen whenever eligible, and also voted in Peru whenever eligible during his years of residence there. ✓4 · Fox News, CBS News, DW, Al Jazeera
  • Illinois's ballot includes the governor's race, in which Democrat JB Pritzker seeks a third term, and an open Senate seat after Dick Durbin's retirement. ✓4 · Fox News, NBC News, DW, Al Jazeera
Dive deeper · 8 more factsShow less
  • Records show he requested Republican primary ballots in 2012, 2014 and 2016, and Democratic primary ballots in 2008 and 2010; the records do not show which candidates he supported. ✓3 · CBS News, NBC News, Al Jazeera
  • Illinois State Board of Elections records show Prevost voted in every general election since 2000 except 2020 and 2022. ✓2 · CBS News, DW
  • The Vatican did not say which candidates Leo voted for. Al Jazeera only
  • Leo is recovering from lung cancer surgery; the Vatican announced on Oct. 13 a procedure at Agostino Gemelli hospital in Rome to remove a small right-lung tumor, and doctors said Oct. 21 no further cancer treatment is needed. Fox News only
  • Al Jazeera reports Leo was released from the hospital on Oct. 17 and has been slowly resuming activities at the Vatican. Al Jazeera only
  • The Will County clerk's office told NBC News it had not yet received a completed ballot from the pope as of Thursday; any ballot would be sent to Joliet, Illinois. NBC News only
  • The US Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a note on the vote, urged Catholics to put faith before politics; public affairs director Chieko Noguchi said the pope sets an example of civic responsibility. Al Jazeera only
  • US federal law allows citizens abroad, including those working for foreign governments, to vote by absentee ballot; the State Department says it may review the citizenship of Americans who serve as a foreign head of state. Al Jazeera only

Context

Pope Leo XIV, the Chicago-born Robert Prevost, cast a mail-in ballot in Illinois ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms, according to the Vatican. He is the first pontiff reported to vote in a US general election.

The Vatican said he has voted whenever eligible and expressed belief in the right and duty of citizens to take part in democratic processes. It did not disclose his choices. Leo, who is also a citizen of Peru, requested the ballot 10 days before lung tumor surgery.

Conflicting Reports

  • Al Jazeera says records show Prevost voted in five primaries since 2000; CBS News and DW say records show he voted in every general election since 2000 except 2020 and 2022. These are different election types, not necessarily conflicting.

How the Agent Panel Scored This

Independent AI personas each scored importance 1–10; the story's score is a trimmed mean (highest and lowest votes dropped). Vote spread: 1.

3 News Editor The concrete event is a single private citizen's mail-in ballot submission, a symbolic news item with limited direct impact on most people, though the papal angle gives it some novelty.
3 Global Affairs Analyst The story reports a personal, routine act of a pope submitting a mail-in ballot, which is a novel but low-impact event with no policy, treaty, or conflict consequences.
3 Science & Tech Analyst The story reports a personal, symbolic act of voting by the pope, a minor newsworthy event with limited concrete impact on the election or the public, since no candidate choices are revealed.
3 Policy Expert The story reports a personal voting act by the pope, a routine civic action with limited direct governmental impact, though it has notable novelty and media interest.
3 Critical Reader The story reports a private, individual ballot submission by the pope, a symbolic first with no measurable effect on the election or broad public impact.
2 Informed Citizen A pope casting a private mail-in ballot is a novel, widely covered human-interest item, but it involves no policy change or concrete action affecting ordinary people and will not matter in a week.
2 Business Analyst This story reports a personal civic act by the pope—casting a mail-in ballot—with no market-moving, regulatory, or broad economic impact, making it a niche/newsworthy item of limited economic significance.

Sources (7)

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