Pope Leo XIV Becomes First Pontiff to Vote in a U.S. Election
4 sourcesUpdated Oct 30, 20261 min read
Pope Leo XIV submitted a mail-in ballot in Illinois for the Nov. 3, 2026 midterms, the Vatican confirmed Friday, making him the first pope to vote in a U.S. general election. The Holy See said he has voted as a U.S. citizen whenever eligible, including while living in Peru for over 20 years, and believes citizens have a right and duty to join democratic processes. He requested the ballot Oct. 3 from a New Lenox Will County address, 10 days before right-lung cancer surgery at Gemelli Hospital, and was released Oct. 17. Illinois records show five primary votes since 2000. AP reports Democratic ballots in 2008 and 2010; CBS citing AP lists 2008 and 2019. Both note Republican ballots in 2012, 2014 and 2016. He cast general-election ballots every cycle since 2000 except 2020 and 2022. Candidate choices are not public. ABC reports Trump called Leo weak and captive to the radical left over criticism on war and immigration. Leo said he is not afraid of the Trump administration and will keep speaking out against war for peace and dialogue. How he returned the ballot is unclear; his brother John Prevost was in Rome this week with New Lenox parishioners.
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Left· 3 sources
“Pope Leo becomes first pontiff to vote in a U.S. election”Center· 0 sources
No center coverage yet — a bubble gap.
I don't see why the Pope shouldn't vote in American elections if he's eligible like anyone else.
It's surprising the Pope has US voting rights through Illinois, but mail-in ballots make sense for his schedule.
