Pope Leo XIV Makes History with Midterm Vote

Pope Leo XIV has cast a mail-in ballot in Illinois for the US midterm elections, a historic first for a sitting pope. The Chicago-born pontiff is the first US citizen to lead the Vatican. The Holy See Press Office said he believes citizens have both a right and a duty to take part in democratic processes, and stated that he has voted whenever eligible, including during his years in Peru. The election on 3 November will determine which party controls Congress and could shape the final years of Donald Trump’s presidency. Early voting is already under way in most states. NBC News reported that the Pope requested his ballot from the Will County Clerk’s Office on 3 October. Later that month, the Vatican announced he had undergone surgery to remove a lower lobe of his right lung following a lung cancer diagnosis. The Vatican has also confirmed that the 71-year-old plans to travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in early November. The article places the vote against a backdrop of disagreement between Leo and Trump. Their tensions intensified after the Pope called for peace following US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Trump criticized the Pope’s comments, while Leo defended the Church’s mission to preach the Gospel and peace, saying he hoped people would listen to the value of God’s words. With the midterms approaching, Republican and Democratic officials are campaigning nationwide. Polls indicate Democrats may take control of the House of Representatives and could gain seats in the Senate. The unfavorable outlook has prompted Trump to hold rallies in states where Republicans are usually expected to win comfortably.

The Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo XIV cast a mail-in ballot in Chicago ahead of the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections. Leo, formerly Robert Prevost and a U.S. citizen from Illinois, requested an absentee ballot earlier in October. The Holy See said he has voted whenever eligible and described voting as both a right and a civic duty. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops welcomed his participation, while emphasizing that Catholics should form their consciences and consider human dignity and the common good when voting. The vote may be unprecedented: Leo is head of state of the Holy See, which has no political elections, and a papal historian said he knew of no earlier pope who had voted in a democratic election. U.S. law permits citizens abroad, including people working for foreign governments, to vote absentee. Leo also holds Peruvian citizenship and, according to the Vatican, voted there when eligible, although there is no evidence he participated in Peru’s national election earlier that year. The article notes that Leo requested his ballot shortly before undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung. He was released from hospital on Oct. 17 and has gradually resumed Vatican activities; it is not known how he returned the ballot. The report also describes Leo’s public disagreements with U.S. President Donald Trump over the war in Iran and the treatment of immigrants. Leo has defended his right to speak out for peace, dialogue and the Gospel, and supported U.S. bishops’ criticism of the vilification of immigrants. Illinois election records show Prevost voted in five primaries from 2000 onward, requesting Democratic ballots twice and Republican ballots three times, and in general elections except those in 2020 and 2022. The article also outlines the significant Illinois races on the ballot.

Pope Leo XIV has become the first pontiff to vote in a U.S. election, submitting a mail-in ballot in his native Illinois ahead of the November midterm elections, according to the Vatican. The Holy See said Leo, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, has voted in U.S. elections whenever he was eligible and views participation in democratic processes as both a right and a duty. The Will County Clerk’s Office confirmed that Leo requested a mail-in ballot and is listed as a voter with a registered address in New Lenox. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that he made the request on October 3, shortly before undergoing lung cancer surgery. Leo was released from the hospital on October 17 and has been recovering while resuming Vatican activities; plans for a South America trip next month are proceeding. The article places his vote within a broader record of civic engagement. In a September 2 address, Leo urged the faithful not to remain passive or indifferent toward current events, calling on them to become involved and to support people harmed by injustice, discrimination, and violence. The Vatican also said he voted while serving as a missionary and bishop in Peru, where he spent nearly two decades. He holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship. Illinois election records show that, as Robert Prevost, he was registered in Cook County and voted in five primary elections since 2000. According to the Associated Press, he selected Democratic primary ballots in 2008 and 2019 and Republican ballots in 2012, 2014, and 2016. Because Illinois holds closed primaries, voters must declare a party preference to receive a primary ballot; that requirement does not apply to 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 voted by mail in the upcoming US midterm elections, becoming the first pontiff known to have voted in a US general election while serving as pope, the Vatican confirmed. Leo, 71, is a US citizen born in Chicago as Robert Francis Prevost. US media reported that he applied for a postal ballot on October 3. The Vatican said he had exercised his voting right whenever eligible, and Illinois election records show Prevost voted in every general election from 2000 onward except in 2020 and 2022, as well as in five primary elections. He also holds Peruvian citizenship and voted when eligible during his years as a bishop in Peru. A Vatican spokesperson described participation in democratic processes as both a right and a duty, despite Vatican City itself being an absolute monarchy without political elections. The report places the pope’s vote against the stakes of the midterms: every seat in the House of Representatives and roughly one-third of the Senate are being contested. Republicans are defending narrow majorities against a strong Democratic challenge. Illinois voters are also deciding whether Governor JB Pritzker will win a third term and choosing a senator to replace retiring Democrat Dick Durbin. The pope’s ballot choice is not known. However, Leo has repeatedly criticized President Donald Trump and his administration on matters including the Iran war, migration and press freedom. He also declined an invitation to US 250th-anniversary celebrations. Trump has personally attacked Leo, describing him as “weak” and aligned with the “radical left.” Leo has said he is not afraid to speak out and will continue to oppose war while advocating peace, dialogue and multilateralism.

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, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, was legally entitled to vote in Illinois despite serving as the head of Vatican City, according to voting-rights expert Richard Hasen. US citizens living abroad retain voting rights, and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act of 1986 requires states to provide absentee voting procedures. Under the law, overseas voters generally vote in the jurisdiction where they lived before leaving the United States. The pope is also a citizen of Peru and requested an Illinois mail-in ballot, according to reporting by the Chicago Sun-Times. The Vatican press office confirmed that he submitted a ballot and described him as believing in citizens’ right and duty to participate in democratic processes. It also said he voted while living in Peru when eligible. Illinois election records show that Prevost has voted in five primary elections since 2000, requesting Democratic ballots in 2008 and 2010 and Republican ballots in 2012, 2014 and 2016. Illinois primary voters must choose a party ballot, but the records do not disclose which candidates he supported. Records also show that he submitted ballots in every general election since 2000 except those in 2020 and 2022. His registration is listed at his older brother John’s home in suburban New Lenox, after Prevost had previously lived in Cook County. The article notes that Vatican City has been an independent state since 1929 and is an absolute monarchy without political elections. Its citizenship is granted by application, with the pope holding citizenship for life. The article also outlines the Illinois races on the ballot, including contests for governor, US Senate and the House, and says Democrats were expected to win the statewide races by wide margins. It opens with a wry reference to President Trump’s proposed $1 million voter-fraud bounty, saying the pope’s lawful vote would not qualify for a claim.

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.