PoliticsDevelopingUpdated 4 hr ago

Will County clerk confirms Pope Leo XIV requested an Illinois mail ballot

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets across the spectrum.

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Newsweek, Breitbart News and NBC News report, citing the Will County Clerk’s Office, that Pope Leo XIV requested a mail ballot for Illinois’ November 3 midterm election. The clerk’s office chief of staff, Kim Fladhammer, confirmed that Robert Francis Prevost, the pope’s birth name, is on the list of people who requested a mail ballot, and that the request was made October 3. The outlets report that he remains a registered Illinois voter. According to NBC News, the clerk’s office had not received a completed ballot as of its reporting, and it is not known whether he has filled out or mailed it. Newsweek adds that more than 20 million Americans have already voted early.

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Left
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Right
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What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

The Will County Clerk’s Office confirmed that Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, requested a mail ballot for Illinois’ November 3 midterm election.
Reported byLeft1Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
NBC News
Center
Newsweek
Far Right
Breitbart News
The ballot request was made on October 3, according to the clerk’s office.
Reported byLeft1Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
NBC News
Center
Newsweek
Far Right
Breitbart News
The pope remains a registered voter in Illinois.
Reported byLeft1Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
NBC News
Center
Newsweek
Far Right
Breitbart News
As of the latest reporting, the clerk’s office had not received a completed ballot, and it is not known whether the pope has returned it.
Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
NBC News
Center
Newsweek
If he votes, the pope would be the first pope to cast a ballot in a U.S. election.
Reported byLeft1Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Left
NBC News
Center
Newsweek
Far Right
Breitbart News

How each side tells it

Compare views

All three report that the pope requested an Illinois mail ballot, per the county clerk, and that his return status is unknown. Breitbart stresses the first-American angle, NBC ties the request to his criticism of Trump policies, and Newsweek places it within early voting.

the left
1 outlet
NBC News leads with the ballot request and whether the pope has mailed it, then links him to his criticism of Trump administration policies in the description.
Pope Leo requested an absentee ballot in Illinois to vote in the midterms
NBC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines
the center
1 outlet
Newsweek’s headline frames the pope as one of nearly 20 million early voters, with a hedged “May Be”, placing the request within the wider early-voting trend.
Pope Leo May Be Among the Nearly 20 Million Americans Voting Early
NewsweekCenterAll center headlines
the right
1 outlet
Breitbart’s single report leads with a “Report:” label and stresses that the pope would be the first American pope to vote, framing the ballot as a historic first.
Report: Pope Leo XIV Requested a Mail-In Ballot for the Illinois Midterm Elections
Breitbart NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

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See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

pope’s ballot request and unclear mailing status
pope’s criticism of Trump administration policies
pope’s status as the first American pope

Leaves out

Pope’s past voting record in Illinois primaries and general elections

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

NBC NewsLeft
Pope Leo requested an absentee ballot in Illinois to vote in the midterms
It’s not clear whether Leo, who has been critical of the Trump administration, has mailed off his ballot yet.
4 hr agoRead at NBC News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

pope as one of many early voters
possibility he is the first pontiff to vote in a secular election
broader early-voting numbers

Leaves out

NBC’s report that the pope has been critical of Trump administration policies
NBC’s report of the pope’s recent lung cancer surgery

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

NewsweekCenter
Pope Leo May Be Among the Nearly 20 Million Americans Voting Early
Pope Leo XIV requested an Illinois ballot to his Vatican City address.
5 hr agoRead at Newsweek (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

first American pope to vote
pope’s past Illinois primary and general election votes
Illinois voting law allowing anyone to vote by mail

Leaves out

NBC’s report that the pope has been critical of Trump administration policies

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

Breitbart NewsFar Right
Report: Pope Leo XIV Requested a Mail-In Ballot for the Illinois Midterm Elections
Pope Leo XIV may not only be the first American to lead the Catholic Church, but he may also be the first American to lead the Catholic Church who votes in an American election.
4 hr agoRead at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

Left
28 min later
Its first report, Oct 29, 9:44 PM EDT
Center
First to report
Newsweek, Oct 29, 9:16 PM EDT
Right
21 min later
Its first report, Oct 29, 9:37 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

NewsweekCenterOct 29, 9:16 PM EDT
Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 29, 9:37 PM EDT
NBC NewsLeftOct 29, 9:44 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Will County clerk confirms Pope Leo XIV requested an Illinois mail ballot

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

Side by side

From the left

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

From the center

Pope Leo May Be Among the Nearly 20 Million Americans Voting Early

From the right

Report: Pope Leo XIV Requested a Mail-In Ballot for the Illinois Midterm Elections

How the coverage built up

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