The Chicago-born leader of the Catholic Church has requested a mail ballot for the midterm elections, which would make him the first pope to vote in a U.S. election.
The Vatican confirmed Friday that Pope Leo XIV submitted the mail-in ballot ahead of Tuesday’s Election Day.
The Holy See press office said that “in keeping with this long-standing practice of civic participation, he has submitted his mail-in ballot in Chicago.”
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“The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes,” it added.
Pope Leo not only holds U.S. and Peruvian citizenship, but also is the head of state of a foreign country, the Holy See.
During his years of residence in Peru, when he was a missionary priest and bishop for over 20 years, he “exercised his right to vote whenever he was eligible to do so,” the statement said.
The Illinois-registered pontiff was among voters who requested mail-in ballots, according to the Will County clerk’s office.
The pope, whose given name is Robert Francis Prevost, made the request Oct. 3.
Public records show that he voted in the 2012, 2014 and 2016 Republican primaries, and cast ballots in the 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2024 general elections. He also voted in Democratic primaries in 2008 and 2010. He did not vote in Illinois’ March primary.
Illinois voters do not have to register by party and can choose which party’s primary to vote in.
The clerk’s office said it has not yet received a completed ballot from the pope, who had lung cancer surgery this month.
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