‘The pope has voted’: Pope Leo XIV makes history as first pontiff to cast a ballot in a US election
Another historic first.
Pope Leo XIV has officially cast his ballot in the 2026 US midterm elections, making history as the first sitting pope known to have voted in a US general election. The Chicago-born pontiff submitted a mail-in ballot in his home state of Illinois ahead of the November 3 elections, the Vatican confirmed on Friday.
The announcement came after reports that Leo, formerly known as Robert Francis Prevost, had requested a mail-in ballot earlier in October. The Holy See Press Office confirmed that he had exercised his voting rights as a US citizen whenever he was eligible to do so, including during his years living in Peru.
“The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes,” the Vatican said in its statement.
The pope’s vote is a historic first, but his participation in elections is not new. Leo has maintained his US citizenship despite spending decades outside the country as a missionary priest and bishop in Peru. According to MPR News, he also holds Peruvian citizenship and serves as head of state of the Holy See, a sovereign city-state that does not hold political elections.
Pope Leo XIV has a voting history in the US
Records from the Illinois State Board of Elections show that Prevost has participated in US elections for years. Since 2000, he has voted in five primary elections, requesting Democratic ballots twice and Republican ballots three times.
In Illinois, voters must declare a party preference to receive a ballot in a primary election, but they do not have to do so in general elections. The records do not reveal which candidates Prevost supported in those contests.
The records also show that he submitted ballots in every US general election since 2000 except for the 2020 and 2022 elections. His latest ballot, however, is the first he has cast while serving as leader of the Catholic Church.
The pope has not stayed out of U.S. politics
Leo’s participation in the election comes as he has become an increasingly outspoken figure in debates involving US policy. Since becoming pope, he has criticized the Trump administration’s treatment of immigrants and repeatedly called for an end to the war in Iran.
Those comments have put him at odds with President Donald Trump, who criticized Leo earlier this year, calling him “weak” on crime and “terrible” on foreign policy. The pope responded that he was not afraid of the administration or of speaking out about the Gospel’s message.
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