Pope Leo votes by mail in US midterm elections

Pope Leo XIV has cast a mail-in ballot in the U.S. midterm elections, the Vatican confirmed Oct. 30, becoming the first sitting pontiff known to vote in a secular election.

“Pope Leo XIV has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen, whenever he was eligible to do so,” the Holy See Press Office said in a statement cited by Vatican News, adding that “in keeping with this long-standing practice of civic participation, he has submitted his mail-in ballot in Chicago.”

The statement added that Pope Leo “exercised his right to vote whenever he was eligible to do so” during his years in Peru, where he served for more than 20 years as a missionary priest and bishop.

“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.

The confirmation followed an Oct. 29 Chicago Sun-Times report that Pope Leo had requested a mail ballot Oct. 3, according to the Will County clerk’s office. The outlet reported that he remains registered under his birth name, Robert Francis Prevost, at an address in New Lenox, a Chicago suburb. 

According to the Sun-Times, records show Prevost has voted in the Democratic primaries twice and the Republican primaries three times since 2008. He has also voted in the 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2024 general elections, according to the outlet. Illinois voters do not register by party, but they must select a party’s ballot to participate in its primary.

In the Nov. 3 election, Illinois voters will choose between Democratic Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Republican Don Tracy to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, while Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker faces Republican Darren Bailey in his bid for a third term.

According to the Washington Examiner, no sitting pope has previously voted in a secular election. The outlet identified the selection of Holy Roman Emperors as the closest historical parallel. Beginning with Pope Innocent III in 1202, popes claimed authority to reject the prince-electors’ choice. Although the electors subtly resisted that claim, the emperor-elect relied on papal coronation to assume the imperial title, giving popes influence over the outcome without directly casting a ballot. 

Responding to the news that Pope Leo had voted, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) wrote on X, “As Catholics and Americans, we are blessed to be able to participate in our nation’s political and public life.” 

The USCCB said the bishops have been “encouraging Catholics to exercise their right to vote and to do so in a way that places our faith before our politics” as the midterms approach.

“In voting, our Holy Father sets the example that encourages each citizen to exercise their civic responsibility,” the USCCB added, saying Catholics must “inform their conscience as they prepare to vote” and “uphold human dignity and the common good in doing so.”

>> USCCB president urges Catholics to put ‘faith before politics’ ahead of elections <<

Bishops across the country have also urged prayer and action ahead of the elections. Virginia’s bishops have urged Catholics to vote against two proposed constitutional amendments that they say would threaten unborn life and undermine true marriage.

North Dakota’s bishops have also backed a ballot measure that would raise the approval threshold for constitutional amendments from a simple majority to 60%, citing its potential to protect the state’s pro-life laws, as Zeale News previously reported.

Denver Archbishop James Golka and Auxiliary Bishop Jorge Rodríguez have also invited Catholics to join a novena for the nation ahead of the elections, as Colorado voters weigh proposals on girls’ sports, sex-change surgeries for minors, and penalties for child sex trafficking.

>> Denver bishops call for prayer as midterm election nears <<