Pope Leo XIV casts ballot in US midterms, first pontiff to vote

The short version

• The Vatican confirmed Pope Leo XIV submitted a mail-in ballot in Chicago ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.[Al Jazeera]
• The Vatican did not say which candidates Leo supported, and Illinois records do not show his choices.[Al Jazeera]
• Trump has criticized the pope, according to reporting, over his condemnations of the US-Israel war on Iran and immigration policy.[Al Jazeera]

Key facts

• The Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo XIV submitted a mail-in ballot in Chicago ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.[Al Jazeera]
• Pope Leo XIV is the first pontiff to vote in a United States general election.[Al Jazeera · BBC News]
• The Vatican did not say which candidates Leo voted for.[Al Jazeera]
• Leo requested his mail-in ballot from the Will County Clerk's Office on October 3.[BBC News]
• Since 2000, Leo has voted in five primary elections, requesting Democratic ballots twice and Republican ballots three times, according to Illinois State Board of Elections records.[Al Jazeera]
• Trump criticized the pope for repeatedly condemning the US-Israel war on Iran and for challenging his administration's crackdown on immigrants.[Al Jazeera]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Pope Leo becomes first pontiff to vote in US general electionAl Jazeera
• Pope Leo XIV becomes first pontiff to vote in a US electionBBC News - World