Vatican confirms Pope submitted mail-in ballot in hometown of Chicago ahead of Nov. 3 midterm elections
Pope Leo XIV became the first pontiff to vote in a United States general election after voting by mail in Chicago, where he was born.
The Vatican confirmed Friday that the pope submitted a mail-in ballot in the city ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, citing his long-held belief in civic participation.
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Leo, formerly Robert Prevost, “exercised his right to vote as an American citizen,” as he did “whenever eligible,” the Vatican press service said.
“The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes,” the text adds.
The Vatican did not specify which candidates Leo voted for.
In a memo commenting on Leo’s vote, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops urged Catholics to put “our faith before our politics” and to “defend human dignity and the common good.”
“By voting, our Holy Father sets an example by encouraging every citizen to exercise civic responsibility,” said the conference’s public affairs director, Chieko Noguchi.
Leo is a citizen not only of the United States, but also of Peru, where he lived as a priest and bishop for more than 20 years, as well as the Vatican, where he serves as head of state.
U.S. federal law allows citizens living abroad, even those working for foreign governments, to vote by mail.
Americans working for foreign governments are not automatically at risk of losing their U.S. citizenship, but the U.S. State Department says on its website that it may “actively review” the citizenship status of Americans who “serve as a foreign head of state, head of foreign government, or minister of foreign affairs.”
A regular voter
In this year’s midterm elections, voters in the solidly Democratic state of Illinois, home to Chicago, will choose a successor to outgoing Sen. Dick Durbin and choose to re-elect Gov. JB Pritzker.
Leo requested an absentee ballot on October 3, just ten days before undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung. He is slowly resuming his activities at the Vatican after leaving the hospital on October 17.
Since 2000, Leo has voted in five primary elections under the name Prevost, twice asking for Democratic votes and three times for Republican votes, according to records held by the Illinois State Board of Elections, which do not show which candidates he supported.
Illinois voters must declare their party preference to receive a primary ballot.
Although 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 primary ballots in 2012, 2014 and 2016.
Clashes with Trump
Since Leo’s accession to the papacy in May 2025, US President Donald Trump has clashed with the pontiff several times.
Trump criticized the pope for repeatedly condemning the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and for challenging his administration’s crackdown on immigrants.
Earlier this year, Trump called Leo “weak” and a captive of the “radical left,” sparking a remarkable back-and-forth.
Leo responded by telling reporters, “I am not afraid of the Trump administration or speaking out loud about the message of the Gospel, which the Church works for. »
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