Vatican Confirms: Pope Leo XIV Casts Ballot in U.S. Midterms
Records show the Chicago-born pontiff has voted in every general election since 2000, switching party preferences based on his residential address in Illinois.
By Daniel Rogers ·
The Vatican confirmed on Friday that Pope Leo XIV cast a mail-in ballot in Chicago for the upcoming November midterm elections. This makes the Chicago-born pontiff the first pope in history to vote in a U.S. general election. The Holy See press office stated that Leo, formerly known as Robert Prevost, exercised his right as a U.S. citizen and has voted whenever eligible.
The vote was initially reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, which cited the chief of staff at the Will County clerk’s office. According to that source, Prevost, registered at a New Lenox address, requested a mail-in ballot on Oct. 3. It remains unclear how the completed ballot was returned to the clerk’s office. His brother, John Prevost, was in Rome this week with parishioners from St. Jude’s, an Augustinian-run parish in New Lenox where Leo gave a talk in 2024.
Illinois State Board of Elections records reveal a consistent voting history for Prevost since 2000. The data shows he participated in five primary elections, requesting Democratic ballots twice and Republican ballots three times. While registered in heavily Democratic Cook County, he requested Democratic primary ballots in 2008 and 2010. After relocating to the more conservative suburban Will County, he requested Republican primary ballots in 2012, 2014, and 2016. These primary records require voters to declare a party preference, but no such declaration is needed for general elections.
The election records indicate that Prevost submitted ballots in every general election since 2000, with two exceptions. He did not vote in the 2020 and 2022 general elections. The Vatican statement emphasized that the pope also voted while living in Peru whenever he was eligible. The press office added that the Holy Father believes citizens have both the right and the duty to participate in democratic processes.
The confirmation comes as the 2026 midterm elections approach. The Vatican cited Leo’s long-standing belief in civic participation as the reason for the public disclosure. The records do not specify which candidates Prevost supported in the general elections. The switch in primary party preferences aligns with his residential changes from Cook County to Will County over the past decade.
Source: WHDH
