Leo XIV Becomes First Pope in History to Vote in a U.S. General Election

Vatican Confirms His Ballot

The Vatican said Friday that Leo XIV had submitted a mail-in ballot in Chicago before the Nov. 3 midterm elections. The Chicago-born pontiff has long supported civic participation, according to the Holy See press office.

The office said Leo, formerly Robert Prevost, had used his voting rights as a U.S. citizen whenever eligible. It added that he also voted when eligible while living in Peru, where he spent more than 20 years as a missionary priest and bishop.

The Vatican said the pope believes citizens have both a right and a duty to take part in democratic processes. Leo holds U.S. and Peruvian citizenship and serves as head of state of the Holy See, a city-state with no political elections.

Rules And Illinois Races

U.S. federal law permits citizens abroad, including people working for foreign governments, to vote by absentee ballot. The State Department says it may review the citizenship status of Americans serving as a foreign head of state, head of government or foreign minister.

Voting Record And Ballot Request

The Chicago Sun-Times first reported Leo’s vote. The paper quoted the Will County clerk’s chief of staff as saying the pope, registered at a New Lenox address, requested a mail-in ballot on Oct. 3.

Illinois election records show that Robert Prevost voted in five primaries since 2000: he requested Democratic ballots twice and Republican ballots three times. The records do not identify his preferred candidates; primary voters must declare a party preference, unlike voters in general elections.

Registered in heavily Democratic Cook County, Prevost requested Democratic primary ballots in 2008 and 2010. After moving to more conservative Will County, he requested Republican ballots in 2012, 2014 and 2016; records show general-election ballots in every cycle since 2000 except 2020 and 2022.

Disputes With Trump

Since becoming pope, Leo has criticized the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and called for immigrants to be treated with dignity, drawing criticism from Trump. Earlier this year, Trump called Leo “weak” and accused him of being captive to the “radical left,” prompting a public dispute that overshadowed Leo’s April trip to Africa.

Leo told reporters while traveling to Algeria that he was not afraid to speak about the Gospel. He said he would keep speaking against war and advocating peace, dialogue and cooperation among states.

Asked about the earlier dispute, Vatican foreign minister Archbishop Richard Paul Gallagher said the Holy See seeks to address misunderstandings and rebuild trust. The article ends before providing further information about the relationship between Leo and Trump.