Pope Leo XIV has become the first pontiff to vote in a U.S. election, the Vatican confirmed Friday, saying the Chicago born pope submitted a mail ballot ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
“The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes,” the Vatican said in a statement.
What We Know So Far
The Holy See press office said Leo, formerly Robert Prevost, “has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen” whenever he was eligible. It said he also voted while living in Peru, where he spent more than 20 years as a missionary priest and bishop. He holds U.S. and Peruvian citizenship and is also head of state of the Holy See, an absolute monarchy that holds no political elections.
The Chicago Sun-Times first reported the vote. Kim Fladhammer, chief of staff at the Will County clerk’s office in Illinois, said the pope, registered at a New Lenox address, requested a mail ballot on Oct. 3. That was days before the surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung. Illinois election officials said any registered voter in the state can vote by mail. How the pope returned his ballot is unclear.
Leo, 71, was released from the hospital Oct. 17 and has been slowly resuming his duties at the Vatican. He met with about 30 Chicago clergy, religious leaders and lay people on Wednesday and is moving ahead with a trip to South America next month.
What Authorities Are Saying
Chieko Noguchi, public affairs director for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the pope “sets the example that encourages each citizen to exercise their civic responsibility.” The conference urged Catholics to put “our faith before our politics” and to uphold human dignity and the common good.
On Sept. 2, Leo told a general audience in St. Peter’s Square that believers cannot “remain as unengaged spectators,” according to Catholic News Service.
The ballot covers Illinois races including Gov. JB Pritzker’s bid for a third term and an open U.S. Senate seat after the retirement of Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin. There are no statewide issues on the ballot. President Donald Trump is not on the ballot but has campaigned to keep Republican control of Congress for the last two years of his term.
Differing Accounts
The sources differ on Leo’s voting history, which comes from Illinois election records. The AP said he voted in five primaries since 2000, requesting Democratic ballots in 2008 and 2010 and Republican ballots in 2012, 2014 and 2016. CBS News, summarizing the AP, gave the Democratic years as 2008 and 2019. The Sun-Times also listed 2008 and 2010.
The sources also disagree on general elections. The AP said he submitted ballots in every general election since 2000 except 2020 and 2022. The Sun-Times listed general election votes in 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2024, and said he did not vote in Illinois’ March primary. The records do not show which candidates he supported.
The timing of the surgery is given differently. The AP said the ballot request came 10 days before the operation. The Sun-Times said Leo returned to the Vatican on Oct. 18, four days after having part of his right lung removed. The surgery confirmed lung adenocarcinoma.
Why This Matters
U.S. federal law lets citizens living abroad, including those working for foreign governments, vote by absentee ballot. The State Department says it may “actively review” the citizenship status of Americans who serve as a foreign head of state, though Americans working for foreign governments are not automatically at risk of losing it, the AP noted.
Leo has drawn criticism from Trump for condemning the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and for calling for dignified treatment of immigrants. Earlier this year Trump called Leo “weak” and captive to the “radical left,” and in April faced backlash for calling the pope “terrible for foreign policy.” Leo said en route to Algeria, “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration.” The public dispute has subsided in recent months, and the Vatican foreign minister, Archbishop Richard Paul Gallagher, said the Holy See tries to let misunderstandings pass.
Leo has also weighed in on U.S. issues. He called the death penalty “inadmissible” and said in 2025 he was “very disappointed” that Illinois approved medically assisted dying.
What Happens Next
Illinois voters decide the Senate and governor races on Nov. 3. None of the sources say which candidates Leo chose.
Sources: CBS News, the Associated Press and the Chicago Sun-Times
