Pope Leo becomes first pontiff to vote in a U.S. election
Topics: 2026 Midterm Elections
5 outlets (CBS News, Axios, PBS NewsHour, BBC US and NBC News) are covering this story.
How outlets are covering this: 5 outlets ran their own headlines on this story. Words most headlines share: “vote”, “Pope”, “Leo”, “election”. Distinct wording: PBS NewsHour uses “history” and “general”; NBC News uses “absentee” and “Illinois”. (Computed from the headlines below.)
- CBS News reports: “The Vatican said Pope Leo exercised his right as a U.S. citizen, submitting a mail-in ballot in his native Chicago ahead of the midterm elections next week.”
- Axios reports: “Pope Leo XIV voted in the 2026 Illinois midterm elections using a mail-in ballot, the Vatican confirmed Friday, becoming the first sitting pope known to vote in an American election.Why it matters:…”
- PBS NewsHour reports: “Leo XIV has become the first pope to vote in a U.S. general election, casting a mail-in ballot in a contest that will decide America's future as the Trump era slowly comes to an end.”
Read the full coverage
- CBS News: Pope Leo becomes first pontiff to vote in a U.S. election
- Axios: Pope Leo XIV becomes first pope to vote in U.S. election
- PBS NewsHour: Leo XIV has become the first pope in history to vote in a U.S. general election
- BBC US: Pope Leo XIV becomes first pontiff to vote in a US election
- NBC News: Pope Leo casts absentee ballot in Illinois to vote in the midterms
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