To elect a pope, a two-thirds majority of the cardinal electors' votes is required. The number of ballots needed varies depending on how quickly a candidate reaches that threshold.
- Each cardinal elector receives at least two or three ballots per voting session.
- Voting occurs four times daily (twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon).
- After three days of voting without a pope elected, there is a one-day pause for prayer and discussion.
- Then, voting resumes in cycles of seven ballots followed by pauses and exhortations.
- If no pope is elected after 21 ballots, voting continues but only between the two candidates with the most votes in the previous round, still requiring a two-thirds majority.
Historically, conclaves have taken between 3 and 14 ballots to elect a pope. For example, Pope John Paul I was elected on the fourth ballot, John Paul II on the eighth, and Pope Francis on the fifth
. In the recent 2025 conclave, Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected pope on the fourth ballot, securing over 75% of the votes out of 133 electors, which means he comfortably surpassed the two-thirds majority required (at least 89 votes)
. In summary, there is no fixed number of ballots to elect a pope; the process continues with multiple rounds until a candidate obtains the required two- thirds majority vote. Typically, it takes several ballots, often between 3 and 14, but it can vary depending on the conclave dynamics.
