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

The update

Pope Leo XIV has become the first pope to vote in a U.S. election. The Vatican confirmed on October 30 that the Chicago-born pontiff submitted a mail-in ballot in Chicago ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. Leo, 71, born Robert Francis Prevost and elected in May 2025 as the first American-born pope, remains a U.S. citizen and is registered to vote at an address in New Lenox, Illinois. The Will County clerk’s office said he requested a mail ballot on October 3. The Holy See said Leo “has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen, whenever he was eligible to do so,” including during his years living in Peru, and Illinois voting records show he cast ballots in most general elections since 2000.

Why it matters

Historians say no sitting pope is known to have voted in a democratic, secular election before. The vote is possible because Leo kept his U.S. citizenship (he also holds Peruvian citizenship), and the Vatican framed it as a long-standing personal practice of civic participation rather than a political intervention — it has not said which candidates he supported. His Illinois ballot carries real weight this cycle: it includes the race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Dick Durbin and the contest for governor.

What to watch

Election Day on Tuesday, November 3, with all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats in play; confirmation that the pope’s ballot was received and counted in Will County; and whether the Vatican comments further on a pope taking part in a national election.

Sources

• wcia.com (Associated Press) — confirming the Vatican’s announcement, the mail-in ballot in Chicago and Leo’s voting history
• ncregister.com — confirming the Holy See’s statement and that this is the first time a pope has voted in a U.S. election