Saint Chad is the patron saint of elections-Fiction!

The Catholic Patron Saint of Elections is St. Chad-Fiction!

 

 

Summary of eRumor: 
This email reflects on the controversy over “chads” in the Florida ballots for election of President of the United States in November of 2000.  Chad was the name given to the little pieces of ballot that were punched out by voters using voting machines.  The email says that according to the Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Saint Chad is the patron saint of elections.

The Truth:

   
Chad is a real person and is a saint of the Roman Catholic church, but is not the Patron Saint of elections.  According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the Catholic Forum listing of saints, and the Oxford Dictionary of Saints, St. Chad was a missionary monk to Ireland and at one point was elected the Bishop of York, but later removed from the position by a superior.  No sources, including the Oxford Dictionary of Saints, list him as the Patron Saint of Elections and, in fact, there is no Patron Saint of Elections.