Pope Leo XIV has become the first pope to vote in a US general election, the Vatican confirmed on Friday. The Chicago-born pontiff submitted a mail-in ballot in Illinois ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
The Holy See press office said Leo has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen whenever he was eligible to do so, including during his years living in Peru.
The vote first came to light through the Chicago Sun-Times, which reported that Leo, registered at a New Lenox address, requested a mail-in ballot on October 3 from the Will County clerk’s office.
Illinois election records show the pope, born Robert Prevost, has voted in five primary elections since 2000, requesting Democratic ballots twice and Republican ballots three times. The records do not show which candidates he supported, and Illinois voters do not declare a party in general elections.
Leo, the first pope born in the United States, was elected in May 2025. He has lived mostly outside the US since the 1980s and also holds Peruvian citizenship.
Source: Associated Press
