Pope Leo XIV becomes first pontiff to vote in a U.S. general election
publishers 155articles 243first reported 30 Sep, 09:01 UTCdeveloping since 30 Sep · 33 editions
Pope Leo XIV has cast a mail-in ballot in the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections, becoming the first pope to vote in a U.S. general election, according to reports by The Hill, NPR and Colombia One.
The Holy See press office confirmed that the Chicago-born pontiff, formerly Robert Prevost, had “exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen.” It said Leo has voted whenever eligible, including while living in Peru, where he spent more than two decades as a missionary priest and bishop.
The Chicago Sun-Times first reported the ballot request. Citing a Will County clerk’s office official, it said Leo requested a mail-in ballot on Oct. 3 while registered at an address in New Lenox, Illinois. How the completed ballot was returned to Illinois was not reported.
Election records cited by The Associated Press show that Prevost participated in five U.S. primaries since 2000, requesting Democratic ballots in 2008 and 2010 and Republican ballots in 2012, 2014 and 2016. Those records identify only the party primary in which he participated, not the candidates he supported. They also show that he voted in every general election from 2000 except those in 2020 and 2022.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 5 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 728 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
- 155
- Source articles
- 243
- Given to the writer
- 8, 5 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 8
- This version written
- 728 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and published it as written.
Written by a language model from the sources above, then checked by a second model that may only cut, attribute or correct. How it works →