The Vatican confirmed on Friday, October 30, 2026, that Pope Leo XIV has cast a mail-in ballot for the upcoming U.S. midterm elections. This mark's the first time in history a reigning pope has voted in a United States general election. The Chicago-born pontiff, formerly known as Robert Prevost, submitted his ballot to election officials in Chicago.
Leo XIV holds dual citizenship in the United States and Peru and is the head of state of the Holy See, an absolute monarchy that does not hold political elections. The Holy See press office stated that the pope exercised his right as a U.S. citizen in accordance with his belief in the "duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes." The Vatican noted that he previously voted in Peru during the 20 years he lived there as a missionary priest and bishop.
The Chicago Sun-Times first reported the vote, noting that the pope requested his ballot on October 3, 2026. This request occurred 10 days before he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung. Records from the Illinois State Board of Elections show that since 2000, Prevost has voted in every general election except for 2020 and 2022. In past primaries, he requested Democratic ballots twice and Republican ballots three times.
For voters in Illinois, the pope’s ballot is one of millions cast in a midterm cycle that includes a third-term bid by Governor JB Pritzker and a contest for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the retiring Dick Durbin. The scale of the pope's participation is singular, as he is the first of 266 pontiffs to utilize these rights. His vote occurs amid a public history of policy disagreements with President Donald Trump regarding the war in Iran, immigration enforcement, and the use of the death penalty.
What happens next: The ballot will be counted alongside others in Chicago for the midterm elections on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. While the pope’s individual candidate choices remain private, his participation has been cited by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as an example of civic responsibility for the nation's approximately 70 million Catholics. The State Department has not announced any formal change to the pope’s citizenship status following the confirmation of his vote.