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Pope Leo requested an absentee ballot in Illinois to vote in the midterms

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Cite

Uribe, R. C. (2026, October 30). Pope Leo requested an absentee ballot in Illinois to vote in the midterms. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/pope-leo-requested-absentee-ballot-illinois-vote-midterms-rcna606468

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

NBC News · collected 2026-10-30 · by Raquel Coronell Uribe

Quick Summary

Pope Leo XIV, originally Robert Francis Prevost and registered as an Illinois voter, requested an absentee ballot from the Will County Clerk’s Office on October 3rd to vote in the upcoming midterm elections. The pope, who was born in the United States and became its first American pontiff in May 2025, could become the first pope to cast a U.S. election ballot if he completes and sends his absentee form. Pope Leo has been critical of some Trump policies and has faced criticism from both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance for these stances. Illinois races on the ballot are predominantly Democrat-leaning.
Written by AI on 2026-10-30, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Pope Leo XIV has become the first pope in history to vote in a U.S. election, submitting a mail-in ballot ahead of November’s midterm elections from his residence in Vatican City. The Chicago-born pontiff requested an absentee ballot on October 3, and he remains registered to vote under his old address in New Lenox, Illinois. The Holy See press office confirmed that Leo has exercised his right to vote as a U.S. citizen whenever eligible since at least 2000, except for the years 2020 and 2022. Pope Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost, was elected in May 2025 following the death of Pope Francis.

Written for “Pope Leo Votes In US Midterms” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 14 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans left (beta estimate) Confidence high
Leaning: leans left for article 116336 (high confidence, 3 verified quotes) · logged 2026-10-30

Story

📰 Pope Leo Votes In US Midterms
Politics · 15 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 10% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Pope Leo XIV requested a ballot to vote by mail in 2026 elections Same event
Washington Examiner
Hedges 1 of 4 claims Outlet record 70/100
Pope Leo has registered to vote in US midterms: report Same event
The Independent
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 5 of 13 claims Outlet record 59/100
Chicago-born Pope Leo becomes first pontiff to vote in US election after blasting Trump over Iran war and president's treatment of migrants Different event
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans strongly left further left than this Hedges 1 of 21 claims Outlet record 68/100
“While both articles mention Pope Leo requesting an absentee ballot to vote in Illinois, Article A specifies that the pope has not yet mailed his ballot and is still recovering from surgery, while Article B confirms he voted by mail-in ballot.”
Pope Leo XIV has become the first pope in history to vote in a US election Different event
ABC News (US)
Hedges 0 of 6 claims Outlet record 70/100
“Article A reports Pope Leo requesting an absentee ballot, while Article B claims he has become the first pope in history to vote in a US election.”
Pope Leo becomes first pontiff to cast ballot in US election Different event
The Straits Times
Hedges 1 of 14 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different stages of the voting process: Article A reports the request for an absentee ballot, while Article B indicates that the pope has already submitted his vote.”
Pope Leo casts US midterm ballot after row with Trump Different event
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 10 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A reports Pope Leo requesting an absentee ballot, while Article B states he has already cast his ballot in Chicago. These describe different stages of the voting process.”
Pope Leo XIV becomes first pontiff to vote in a US election Different event
BBC News
Hedges 3 of 14 claims Outlet record 69/100
“Article A describes Pope Leo requesting an absentee ballot, while Article B reports that he has submitted his ballot, which are different stages of the process.”
Pope Leo votes in U.S. midterms, Vatican confirms Different event
CBC News
Hedges 2 of 26 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A reports on Pope Leo requesting an absentee ballot, while Article B confirms he has submitted a completed ballot. These are related but distinct events.”
Pope Leo becomes first pope ever to vote in US election, submits mail-in ballot Different event
South China Morning Post
Hedges 0 of 1 claims Outlet record 64/100
“While both articles mention Pope Leo requesting an absentee ballot in Illinois, Article A indicates that the pope has not yet submitted his ballot, whereas Article B states he has already done so.”
Pope Leo becomes first pontiff to vote in a U.S. election Different event
CBS News
Hedges 2 of 18 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss Pope Leo requesting and voting by absentee ballot in U.S. elections, they provide different details and timelines about when he submitted his ballot.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

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Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
10%
2 of 21 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
60/100
NBC News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
15
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-30 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

NBC News · 1927 article(s) · 1 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 1 correction(s)
2026-10-29
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Who wrote this

Raquel Coronell Uribe
26 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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2026-10-30 · assertive framing · Trump cancels weekend rallies in Iowa and Kansas in favor of holding numerous tele-rallies
🔮 Leo, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost, requested the ballot Oct. 3, the Will County Clerk’s Office chief of staff, Kim Fladhammer, confirmed to NBC News on Thursday.
2026-10-30 · assertive framing · Pope Leo requested an absentee ballot in Illinois to vote in the midterms
🔮 In a follow-up post Oct. 19, Trump said work on the course would begin not on Nov. 15, but “IMMEDIATELY!”
2026-10-27 · assertive framing · Judge further extends block on Trump administration’s removing trees at D.C. golf course
🔮 “Anyone with that record of support for jihadists would be screened and unable to get a seat on an airplane.
2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Trump leans into Islamophobic rhetoric at Michigan rally
🔮 “If Israel has the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Vance declines to endorse Netanyahu after Trump offers full support for re-election
🔮 “Shylock” is a Jewish character in William Shakespeare’s play “The Merchant of Venice” sometimes called a usurer.
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Trump uses antisemitic slur in defending Sen. Roger Marshall at rally in Kansas
🔮 “Federal agents have raided her home, confiscated personal records, and seized her phone — all to try and uncover a nonexistent smoking gun from 20 years ago that will somehow make their case.”
2026-10-19 · assertive framing · Obama calls Trump officials’ investigation of Ilhan Omar ‘appalling’
🔮 An attorney for Swalwell said in an email Thursday that he is “innocent,” adding that “these allegations are false, and the facts will bear that out.” “The reported referral to the Los Angeles County District Attorney is a standard procedural step.
2026-10-16 · assertive framing · L.A. County prosecutors weigh charges in Eric Swalwell case after sheriff’s investigation
🔮 Secretaries of state’s offices in Ohio, Louisiana and Oklahoma were sent packages this week with mysterious powders, just weeks before the offices are set to oversee the midterm elections.
2026-10-15 · assertive framing · Suspicious white powder sent to election offices in 3 states
🔮 “Plaintiffs have demonstrated that they are likely to succeed on the merits, will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction, the balance of the equities tips in their favor, and an injunction serves the public interest,” U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon wrote.
2026-10-12 · assertive framing · Federal judge orders pro-Trump TV ads funded by taxpayers off air immediately
Also by Raquel Coronell Uribe
Trump cancels weekend rallies in Iowa and Kansas in favor of holding numerous tele-rallies
2026-10-30 · NBC News
Judge further extends block on Trump administration’s removing trees at D.C. golf course
2026-10-27 · NBC News
Trump leans into Islamophobic rhetoric at Michigan rally
2026-10-25 · NBC News
Vance declines to endorse Netanyahu after Trump offers full support for re-election
2026-10-20 · NBC News
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 26 articles by Raquel Coronell Uribe →

Topics

Democratic Ill. Illinois NBC News U.S.

Subjects

Leo PERSON · 10× Trump PERSON · 4× Illinois GPE · 3× NBC News ORG · 3× U.S. GPE · 3× Democratic NORP · 2× Ill. GPE · 2× Leo XIV PERSON · 1× Robert Francis Prevost PERSON · 1× Vatican City GPE · 1×

Narrative

Leo, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost, requested the ballot Oct. 3, the Will County Clerk’s Office chief of staff, Kim Fladhammer, confirmed to NBC News on Thursday.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-30
🔮 Leo, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost, requested the ballot Oct. 3, the Will County Clerk’s Office chief of staff, Kim Fladhammer, confirmed to NBC News on Thursday.
2026-10-30 · NBC News
Pope Leo requested an absentee ballot in Illinois to vote in the midterms · assertive framing

Claims (21 extracted, 2 hedged)

Pope Leo XIV, a registered voter in Illinois, is poised to vote in next week’s midterm elections after he requested a mail ballot at his residence in Vatican City. asserted
he → poise → City
Leo, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost, requested the ballot Oct. 3, the Will County Clerk’s Office chief of staff, Kim Fladhammer, confirmed to NBC News on Thursday. asserted
chief → request → Thursday
The Chicago Sun-Times first reported the ballot request. asserted
Times → report → request
The clerk’s office told NBC News it has not yet received a completed ballot from the pope, who had lung cancer surgery this month. asserted
who → tell → surgery
It is unclear whether he has filled out or mailed his ballot yet. uncertain
he → fill → ballot
If he does, it would be sent to Joliet, Illinois. asserted
it → do → Joliet
And by virtue of becoming the first American pope in May 2025, Leo would be the first pope to vote in a U.S. election. uncertain
Leo → become → election
Since he became pope, Leo has been an outspoken critic of certain Trump policies, including the U.S. war against Iran and the administration’s treatment of immigrants. asserted
Leo → become → immigrants
Leo and President Donald Trump got into a back-and-forth in April after Leo called for peace in the war that began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28. asserted
that → get → Feb.
Trump responded on social media by calling the pope “WEAK on crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy” while taking credit for his papacy. asserted
Trump → respond → papacy
“I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo,” Trump said at the time. asserted
Trump → ’m → time
Leo responded to the remarks, telling NBC News that he had “no fear of the Trump administration” and vowing to keep advocating for peace. asserted
he → respond → peace
Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, has also hurled criticism in Leo’s direction. asserted
who → hurl → direction
Vance said he should “be careful” when he talks about theology, scolding him for his criticisms of U.S. foreign policy. asserted
he → say → policy
Public records show that Leo has voted in previous elections, casting ballots in the 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2024 general elections. asserted
Leo → show → ballots
He also voted in Republican primaries in 2012, 2014 and 2016. asserted
He → vote → 2012
Voters in Illinois do not register by party, and they can select which party’s primary they want to vote in each election cycle. asserted
they → register → primary
Leo’s ballot this year includes a series of solidly blue races. asserted
ballot → include → races
His congressman is Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., the son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the brother of former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., who is seeking re-election. asserted
who → seek → election
Senate Democratic nominee Juliana Stratton, the state’s lieutenant governor, is seeking to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin. asserted
Stratton → seek → Durbin
Gov. JB Pritzker, meanwhile, is running for re-election, aspiring to become the first Democrat in the state elected to a third term as governor. asserted
Pritzker → run → governor
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