Chicago Native Leo XIV Casts Mail-In Ballot in U.S. Midterms, a "First" for a Pope
Submitted a ballot as a U.S. citizen
Pope Leo XIV, an American, said he had voted absentee in the U.S. midterm elections.
On October 30 (local time), the Vatican's media outlet Vatican News reported, "As a U.S. citizen, Leo XIV has exercised his right to vote whenever he has been eligible to do so," adding that, "in keeping with a longstanding practice of civic participation, he submitted a mail-in ballot in Chicago." It also said he had voted every time when he lived in Peru, adding, "The pope believes that citizens have both the right and the duty to participate in the democratic process." In other words, Pope Leo XIV also voted while living in Peru for more than 20 years as a priest and bishop.
NBC News also reported that the pope had requested an absentee ballot on October 3 from the Will County Clerk's Office in Illinois, where he is registered to vote.
Leo XIV became pope in May 2025, the first American to do so, and by voting in this election, he became the first pope to cast a ballot in a U.S. election.
British historian Michael Walsh, who has written several books on the papacy, told CNN, "I don't believe a pope has ever before voted in a democratic election."
According to public records, Pope Leo cast ballots in the 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2024 elections before becoming pope. He voted in Republican primaries in 2012, 2014 and 2016, and had also voted in Democratic primaries in 2008 and 2010. However, it is not known which candidates he supported.
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Since becoming pope, he has publicly criticized some of U.S. President Donald Trump's policies, including the war and tighter immigration restrictions. In particular, the pope opposed U.S. military operations against Iran and called for an end to the war and a peaceful resolution. In April 2026, after Leo XIV condemned the devastation caused by the war in Iran and criticized "delusions of omnipotence" for fueling the conflict, President Trump harshly attacked him, saying, "The pope is weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy," sparking a war of words. Trump also criticized the pope for not understanding the situation properly, telling him, "Stay out of politics."
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