Pope Leo Becomes First Pope to Vote in US General Election
Pope Leo XIV has submitted his mail-in ballot in Illinois, for the midterm elections, becoming the first-ever pope to vote in a US election.
"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 in a statement.
The Chicago-born pontiff is the first US citizen to hold the Vatican's highest seat, after his selection in May 2025.
Leo, formerly Robert Prevost, “has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen”, as he has done “whenever he was eligible to do so”, the Vatican’s press office said.
“The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes,” it added.
The Vatican did not say which candidates Leo voted for.
According to NBC News, Leo requested a mail-in ballot on October 3, just 10 days before he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung. He has slowly been resuming his activities at the Vatican after being released from the hospital on October 17.
In a note commenting on Leo’s vote, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops urged Catholics to put “our faith before our politics” and “uphold human dignity and the common good”.
“In voting, our Holy Father sets the example that encourages each citizen to exercise their civic responsibility,” said the conference’s director of public affairs, Chieko Noguchi.
Leo is a citizen not only of the US but also of Peru, where he lived as a priest and bishop for more than 20 years, as well as of the Vatican, where he is head of state.
US federal law allows citizens living abroad, even those working for foreign governments, to vote via absentee ballot.
Americans working for foreign governments are not automatically at risk of losing their US citizenship, but the US State Department says on its website that it may “actively review” the citizenship status of Americans who “serve as a foreign head of state, foreign head of government, or foreign minister”.
Elections will be held nationwide on 3 November, but early voting has begun in most states.
Since 2000, Leo has voted in five primary elections as Prevost, requesting Democratic ballots twice and Republican ballots three times, according to records held by the Illinois State Board of Elections, which do not show which candidates he supported.
Illinois voters must declare a party preference to receive a primary ballot.
While registered in heavily-Democratic Cook County, Prevost requested Democratic primary ballots in 2008 and 2010. After moving to the more conservative Will County, he requested Republican primary ballots in 2012, 2014 and 2016.
Clashes with Trump
Since Leo’s ascent to the papacy in May 2025, US President Donald Trump has clashed with the pontiff several times.
Trump criticised the pope for repeatedly condemning the US-Israel war on Iran and for challenging his administration’s crackdown on immigrants.
Earlier this year, Trump called Leo “weak” and captive to the “radical left”, kicking off a remarkable back-and-forth argument.
Leo responded by telling reporters: “I’m not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the church works for.”