Pope Leo XIV Mails Midterm Ballot From Chicago
The Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo XIV participated in the US midterm elections by mail-in ballot from Chicago. He is thus the first pope to have cast a vote in an election.
Pope Leo XIV has cast his vote in the upcoming midterm elections in the United States. The Vatican confirmed on Friday that the pontiff mailed his ballot from Chicago. Robert Francis Prevost, as the pope is known by his birth name, is thus the first pope to publicly take part in an election. The information had previously become known through reports in the US press, which drew attention worldwide.
The Holy See Press Office stated in a announcement that Leo XIV exercised his right to vote as a US citizen whenever the opportunity arose. In line with this established practice of civic participation, the pope sent his vote by mail to Chicago. The pontiff also expressed his conviction that citizens have both the right and the duty to take part in democratic processes.
The Vatican further stated that the pope also exercised his right to vote while in Peru, provided he met the requirements. According to voter registers, Prevost has in the past taken part in several primaries of both the Democratic and Republican parties. He also voted in presidential elections, including in 2024, as well as in parliamentary elections in 2012, 2014 and 2018.
The midterm elections take place on November 3. Prevost is registered in the voter roll of the state of Illinois, where he gave his residence as New Lenox, the home of his brother. Kim Fladhammer, chief of staff in the office of the Will County Clerk in Illinois, confirmed the pope's registration to the Chicago Sun-Times. Illinois does not require party affiliation; in primaries, each voter chooses one ballot.
According to the Vatican, the pope applied for a mail-in ballot as early as October 3, one month before the election date. Leo XIV was born in Chicago and, because of his positions, is regarded as a counterweight to Donald Trump, which made his vote closely followed in the US media. In its announcement, the Vatican refrained from issuing any voting recommendation or disclosing the content of the vote.
The confirmation came after corresponding reports became known in the American press and spread around the world. The pope, who originates from the United States and previously worked for a long time in Peru, thus becomes publicly visible for the first time as an active voter.
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