Pope Leo XIV Makes History at the Ballot Box

Pope Leo XIV has cast a mail-in ballot in Illinois for the US midterm elections, making him the first pope to vote in a US election. The Vatican’s press office said he believes citizens have both a right and a duty to participate in democratic processes. The Chicago-born pontiff is the first US citizen to become pope and, according to the press office, has voted whenever eligible, including while living in Peru. The article places the vote against a politically consequential midterm election, scheduled for 3 November, in which control of Congress is at stake. Early voting has begun in most states. NBC News reported that Leo requested his ballot from the Will County Clerk’s Office on 3 October. The story also notes that, less than two weeks later, the Vatican announced he had undergone surgery to remove a lower lobe of his right lung after a lung cancer diagnosis. The Vatican says he still plans to travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in early November. The pope’s vote comes amid tensions with President Donald Trump. In April, Leo called for peace after US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Trump criticized the pope, while Leo responded that the Church’s mission is to preach the Gospel and peace. The article also outlines the electoral landscape: polls indicate Democrats may take the House of Representatives and could gain Senate seats. With Republicans facing a difficult outlook, Trump has held rallies in states usually considered safe for his party.

Pope Leo XIV has become the first pontiff to vote in a U.S. election, submitting a mail-in ballot in his native Chicago ahead of November’s midterm elections, according to the Vatican. The Holy See said the pope has voted whenever eligible as a U.S. citizen and believes citizens have both a right and a duty to participate in democratic processes. Leo, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, requested his ballot on Oct. 3, according to reporting by the Chicago Sun-Times, which cited the Will County clerk’s office. The request came shortly before the pope underwent lung cancer surgery. He was released from the hospital on Oct. 17 and has been recovering while resuming Vatican activities and preparing for a trip to South America next month. The article also describes Leo’s broader encouragement of civic engagement. At a September general audience, he urged the faithful not to remain passive spectators and called on believers to respond to injustice, discrimination, and violence. The Vatican says his engagement dates back to his nearly two decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru, where he voted when eligible. Leo holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship. Illinois election records show that Prevost was registered to vote in Cook County. The Associated Press reported that he voted in five Illinois primary elections since 2000, choosing Democratic ballots in 2008 and 2019 and Republican ballots in 2012, 2014, and 2016. Because Illinois has closed primaries, voters must declare a party preference to receive a primary ballot, unlike in general elections. Records cited by the AP indicate Leo voted in every general election since 2000 except those held in 2020 and 2022.

Pope Leo XIV has cast a mail-in ballot in the upcoming US midterm elections, the Vatican announced on Friday. The Vatican Press Office said the Chicago-born pontiff exercised his rights as a US citizen and had also voted when eligible while living in Peru. Leo spent years in Peru as a missionary and bishop and holds Peruvian citizenship. The Vatican said he believes citizens have both a right and a duty to participate in democratic processes. The elections, scheduled for 3 November, will determine the composition of Congress during the final two years of President Donald Trump's term. The article describes the vote as the first known instance of a sitting pontiff voting in a political election. It also places Leo's participation in the context of his strained relationship with Trump. Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has criticized the pope, calling him weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy. In an April Truth Social post, Trump suggested the Church selected Leo because he was American and considered that useful in dealing with the president. Leo, in turn, has criticized the US administration's harsh immigration policies and Trump's threats toward Iran. The article notes that Leo, 71, would have been eligible to vote in both Illinois's Senate race and its gubernatorial contest. The governor's race pits incumbent Democrat JB Pritzker against Republican Darren Bailey and independent Collin Corbett. Overall, the report presents the ballot as a notable moment in the pope's public life, while outlining the election's political stakes and the disagreements between the pontiff and the US president.

Pope Leo XIV has become the first pope to vote in a U.S. general election, according to the Vatican, which confirmed that the Chicago-born pontiff submitted a mail-in ballot in Chicago ahead of November’s midterm elections. The Holy See press office said Leo, formerly Robert Prevost, has voted as a U.S. citizen whenever eligible, including while he lived in Peru. It described his participation as reflecting his belief in citizens’ right and duty to take part in democratic processes. The Chicago Sun-Times first reported the vote, citing the chief of staff at the Will County clerk’s office. The pope, who is registered at an address in New Lenox, Illinois, requested a mail-in ballot on October 3. The article says it is not known how he returned it. Leo’s brother, John Prevost, was in Rome during the week, accompanying parishioners from St. Jude’s, an Augustinian-run parish in New Lenox. The elder Prevost attends Mass there, and Leo spoke at the parish in 2024, when he was still a cardinal. Illinois election records show that Prevost voted in five primary elections since 2000: he requested Democratic ballots in 2008 and 2010, then Republican ballots in 2012, 2014, and 2016. The records do not reveal which candidates he supported. In Illinois, voters must state a party preference to receive a ballot in a primary, but no party declaration is required in a general election. The records also indicate that Prevost submitted ballots in every general election since 2000 except those in 2020 and 2022. The article notes that he requested Democratic primary ballots while registered in heavily Democratic Cook County and Republican primary ballots after moving to the more conservative suburban Will County.

Pope Leo XIV has voted by mail in the US midterm elections, becoming the first pontiff to cast a ballot in a US election, according to the Vatican press office. The Vatican said he submitted his ballot in Chicago, describing participation in democratic processes as both a right and a civic duty. It did not disclose which candidates he supported. Leo, 71, was born in Chicago and is the first American-born pope. He registered to vote in Illinois using his birth name, Robert Francis Prevost, and requested a ballot on October 3, according to a Chicago Sun-Times report citing the Will County Clerk’s office. Illinois voters will choose a successor to retiring US Senator Dick Durbin and decide whether to re-elect Governor JB Pritzker. The article places the vote against a politically charged backdrop. President Donald Trump’s declining popularity is described as a risk to Republicans’ efforts to retain majorities in Congress, amid public dissatisfaction with the cost of living and the Iran war. Trump has criticized Leo, while the pope has made pointed comments about war, including saying that God rejects the prayers of those who start wars and have “hands full of blood.” Leo also called Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilization unacceptable, declined to join the president’s “Board of Peace” initiative for Gaza, and urged deeper reflection on the treatment of migrants in the United States. The article also notes Leo’s election as head of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church in May 2025 and reports that part of his right lung was removed in surgery on October 13. He was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma, but doctors said he would not need further therapy. He is scheduled to travel to South America the following week.