Faith

Pope Leo XIV becomes first pope to vote in a U.S. election

Vatican City • October 30, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

Editorial illustration: a sealed mail-in ballot envelope being placed into a blue mailbox with a city skyline behind it

Editorial illustration — Press Pass USA

Pope Leo XIV has submitted a mail-in ballot in Chicago for the November 3 midterm elections, the Vatican confirmed Friday, making the Chicago-born pontiff the first pope to vote in a U.S. election.

“The Holy See Press Office confirms that in keeping with this long-standing practice of civic participation, he has submitted his mail-in ballot in Chicago,” the Vatican said in a statement Friday morning. “The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes.”

Leo, 71, was born in Chicago and was elected in May 2025 as the first American-born pope, leading the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. He remains a U.S. citizen, as well as a citizen of Peru, where he served for more than two decades as a missionary priest and bishop. The Vatican said he also exercised his right to vote during his years in Peru whenever he was eligible to do so.

He is registered to vote under his birth name, Robert Francis Prevost, in New Lenox, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, and requested a mail-in ballot on October 3, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday, citing the Will County clerk's office. The Vatican did not say which candidates he voted for, and did not say whether the ballot was sent from the Vatican.

His Illinois ballot includes the race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Dick Durbin and the governor's race, in which Gov. JB Pritzker is seeking re-election, along with U.S. House, state and county contests. British historian Michael Walsh, who has written several books on the papacy, told CNN that Leo is likely the first pope ever to vote in a democratic, secular election.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops welcomed the news in a statement Friday, saying that in voting, the pope “sets the example that encourages each citizen to exercise their civic responsibility.” The bishops said the conference has been encouraging Catholics to vote in a way that places faith before politics, informing their consciences and upholding human dignity and the common good.

Sources: Reuters (Oct 30, 2026); CNN (Oct 30, 2026); USA TODAY (Oct 30, 2026); U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops statement (Oct 30, 2026); Chicago Sun-Times report (Oct 29, 2026), as reported by Reuters and CNN.