Pope Leo XIV Votes in U.S.
The Chicago-born pontiff cast a mail-in Illinois ballot from the Vatican.
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· 33 outletsSummary
Updated Oct 30, 2:14pm ETPope Leo XIVLeo XIV267th Pope of the Catholic Church (2025–) voted in Illinois’s midterm election by submitting a mail-in ballot from the Vatican. The Vatican confirmed the ballot for the November 3, 2026, election, making him the first pope known to vote in a U.S. election. Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, remains a U.S. citizen registered at a New Lenox address. U.S. citizens abroad can vote in federal elections, and Illinois lets any registered voter vote by mail. The Will County clerk said Leo requested the ballot on October 3, shortly before surgery for a cancerous lung tumor. The Vatican said he has voted whenever eligible and called civic participation a right and duty. It is unclear how he returned the ballot.
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From the left
Left-leaning outlets framed the vote as a historic democratic milestone, while giving more weight to civic duty and political conflict. CNN emphasized the break with papal precedent and tied the moment to clashes with Trump over immigration and war. The Los Angeles Times centered Leo’s long habit of voting and his view of participation as a duty.
From the right
Right-leaning outlets led with the American-born pope adding another historic first, while stressing legality and political backdrop. Fox News highlighted the first-pope angle as an American election milestone. The New York Post focused on why his vote was legally allowed despite his Vatican role. The Daily Mail placed the vote beside his public disputes with Trump over immigration and Iran.
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