WorldTHE LATEST
Pope Leo votes by mail in Illinois midterms
Vatican officials say the Chicago-born pontiff cast his ballot as a U.S. citizen, and Illinois records show he has voted in most general elections since 2000.
On air: Hank Ledger, Vera Bullock and Dale Bearman on BBN NewsroomPublished
Photo: Dennisyerger84 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger, Vera Bullock and Dale Bearman on this story, from BBN Newsroom at 11:30 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Axios's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by Axios: “Holy mail-in ballot: Pope Leo just made U.S. election history”, with reporting from The Washington Times, NBC News, Chicago Sun-Times and CBS News.
- Covered on BBN on Friday, October 30, 2026, at 11:30 AM ET on BBN Newsroom, by Hank Ledger, Vera Bullock and Dale Bearman.
- Topics: US.
- BBN covered this story before: Pope Leo will not make Assisi visit to aid recovery after surgery (October 24).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- AxiosHoly mail-in ballot: Pope Leo just made U.S. election history
- The Washington TimesPope Leo poised to make history by voting in U.S. midterm election
- NBC NewsPope Leo requested absentee ballot in Illinois to vote in midterms October 30, 2026 · facts used on air
- Chicago Sun-TimesVatican confirms Pope Leo voted in midterm election, submits mail ballot in Chicago - Chicago Sun-Times October 30, 2026 · facts used on air
- CBS NewsPope Leo XIV becomes first pontiff to vote in a U.S. election, casting mail-in ballot - CBS News October 30, 2026 · facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorPope Leo the Fourteenth has voted in the Illinois midterms by mail, the Vatican confirmed today, making him the first sitting pope known to vote in an American election.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorHis ballot travels from Vatican City to Joliet, Illinois, and the Vatican says he exercised his right as a United States citizen.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorGovernor Pritzker wrote, if the Pope can vote from Vatican City, you can too.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorIllinois records say he skipped the general elections in twenty twenty and twenty twenty-two.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorThe one man with a direct line upstairs, and he still forgot to mail it twice.
More Shorts
All videos →
Photo: Daniel Torok · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Zheng Zhou · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Driedprawns at en.wikipedia · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
The story so far
- Pope Leo will not make Assisi visit to aid recovery after surgery · Vatican News
- Pope Leo votes by mail in Illinois midterms (this story)
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Friday, October 30, 2026 · the World archive · all months
More in World
All World →
AI laser zaps mosquitoes; Rybakina out; dragons for a mall
Photon Matrix Lab of Changzhou says its device can neutralize thirty insects a second and sells for about one thousand dollars; production slips to…
Texas Senate poll, Kansas fight, Qatar in Tehran
Fox News has the Texas Senate race tied at forty-nine percent among likely voters, while other polls give Talarico a narrow edge; no Texas Democrat…
Trump Won't Back Bolsonaro's Claim, Andrew Probe, Georgia Race
A U.S. official says Trump has no current plans to back Bolsonaro's political ambitions, even though his administration helped him reach the…
King Charles finds Harry a 'colossal disappointment'; Trump, Vance…
The report says the King is reportedly urging William and Kate to ignore Harry too, after claims Harry made to GQ; the rum was a separate matter.