Pope Leo XIV votes by mail in US midterms, the first pontiff known to cast a political ballot

Pope Leo XIV has voted in the US midterm elections by mail-in ballot, the Vatican confirmed on Friday, October 30, 2026, making him the first sitting pope known to have cast a vote in any political election. The Chicago-born pontiff sent his ballot to Illinois ahead of polling day on November 3. The Vatican did not say who he chose.

"The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes," the Holy See Press Office said. It added that he has exercised his right to vote as a US citizen "whenever he was eligible to do so", including during his years as a missionary and bishop in Peru.

How a pope gets a ballot from Will County

Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost, is the first US citizen to lead the Catholic Church. He kept his voter registration at an address in New Lenox, Illinois, and US citizens living abroad can vote by mail as long as they hold a voting address back home.

He reportedly asked the Will County Clerk's Office for a ballot on October 3. Ten days later he had surgery to remove a lower lobe of his right lung after a lung cancer diagnosis, and he left hospital on October 17.

His record shows a regular but not perfect voter.

Election	Did Prevost vote?
General elections since 2000	Yes, in all except two
2020 presidential	No
2022 midterms	No
2024 presidential	Yes, by mail
Primaries	Five, according to Illinois records
2026 midterms	Yes, by mail, confirmed by the Vatican

The Vatican itself is an absolute monarchy and holds no political elections other than the conclave of cardinals that chose him in May 2025.

What is on his Illinois ballot

Illinois voters are deciding whether to give Governor JB Pritzker a third term. They are also filling an open US Senate seat left by the retirement of Dick Durbin, a long-serving Catholic Democrat. Nationally, all House seats and about a third of the Senate are up for election, and polls suggest Democrats are favoured to win back the House.

An awkward backdrop with the White House

The vote will draw attention because of Leo's public disputes with President Donald Trump. The pope has described the administration's immigration policies as "inhuman" and has called for peace in the US-Israeli war with Iran. He also declined an invitation to America's 250th anniversary celebrations this year.

Trump has attacked him repeatedly, saying in April that he was not "a big fan" and calling him "weak on crime" and "terrible on foreign policy". Leo answered that he was "not afraid" of the administration. The two have never met.

Still, Prevost's past voting does not point neatly in one direction. Illinois records show he has voted in Republican primaries as well as others, which is one reason commentators have struggled to label his politics.

What comes next for the pope and for voters

Leo leaves in early November on an 11-day trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru covering 10 cities, his first long journey since the surgery. Early voting is already under way in most US states, and polling day is Tuesday, November 3.