Pope Leo XIV has made history as the first pontiff to vote in a U.S. election, casting a mail-in ballot in his native Chicago ahead of the upcoming November midterm elections. The Vatican confirmed the news on Friday, highlighting the pope's long-standing belief in the importance of civic participation.
According to the Holy See press office, the American-born pope, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, "has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen, whenever he was eligible to do so." The Vatican added in an official statement that "The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes."
Voting details indicate that the pontiff requested his mail-in ballot on Oct. 3 through the Will County clerk's office, where he is registered at a New Lenox address. The ballot request was made just days before he underwent lung cancer surgery. Following his release from the hospital on Oct. 17, the pope has been recovering and resuming his papal duties at the Vatican while moving forward with plans for an upcoming trip to South America next month.
Promoting civic responsibility has been a consistent theme for Pope Leo XIV, who holds dual citizenship in both the United States and Peru. Speaking to a general audience at the Vatican last month, he called on the faithful to move beyond "all passivity and indifference" toward contemporary global events. Vatican officials confirmed that during his nearly two decades as a missionary and bishop in Peru, he regularly exercised his right to vote whenever eligible.
Voter registration files from the Illinois State Board of Elections show that under his birth name, Robert Prevost, the pope was registered in Cook County. Historical voting records show he participated in five primary elections since 2000, choosing Democratic primary ballots in 2008 and 2019, and Republican primary ballots in 2012, 2014, and 2016. Under Illinois law, which enforces closed primary rules, voters must declare a political party preference to receive a primary ballot, though no party declaration is required for general elections. Records further confirm that he submitted ballots in every general election since 2000, except in 2020 and 2022.
