VATICAN CITY | Pope Leo XIV has made history as the first sitting pope known to have participated in a United States general election, casting a mail-in ballot in his hometown of Chicago ahead of the November 3, 2026, midterm elections.
The Vatican confirmed the historic development on October 30, saying the American-born pontiff had exercised his voting rights as a U.S. citizen in keeping with his longstanding practice of civic participation. The Holy See Press Office also confirmed that Leo had voted while living in Peru whenever he was eligible to do so.
“The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes,” the Vatican said in its statement.
Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, Illinois, on September 14, 1955, Leo XIV became the first American elected pope when the College of Cardinals chose him to succeed Pope Francis on May 8, 2025. He is also a naturalized Peruvian citizen, having spent more than two decades serving as a missionary priest and bishop in the South American country.
According to records cited by the Associated Press and the Chicago Sun-Times, Leo has a history of participating in U.S. elections long before becoming head of the Catholic Church. His voting record includes general elections in 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2024, as well as primary elections in both Democratic and Republican contests. The records do not establish which candidates he supported.
For the upcoming midterm elections, the pope requested a mail-in ballot on October 3 through the Will County Clerk’s Office in Illinois, where he remains registered at an address in New Lenox, southwest of Chicago. His ballot was submitted while he was at the Vatican.
The election will determine all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate, along with several gubernatorial and local positions. In Illinois, voters will choose a governor and a successor to retiring Senator Dick Durbin.
The pope’s participation also highlights the distinction between his position as head of the Catholic Church and his rights as an American citizen. Although he serves as head of state of Vatican City, an absolute monarchy without political elections, U.S. law allows eligible American citizens residing abroad to participate in federal elections through absentee voting.
The development is particularly notable in the history of the papacy. Before Leo XIV, no sitting pope was publicly known to have cast a ballot in a U.S. election. His predecessor, Pope Francis, retained his Argentine citizenship after becoming pontiff in 2013, but there is no publicly documented record of him voting in an Argentine election while pope.
Leo’s vote comes amid his continuing engagement with public issues, including immigration, war, human dignity and the death penalty. He has emphasized the responsibility of citizens to take part in democratic life while maintaining the Church’s position that moral principles and the common good should guide public affairs.
The historic ballot offers a rare glimpse into the personal civic life of a pope, demonstrating that even while leading a global religious institution, Leo XIV continues to exercise a right he has long regarded as a responsibility of citizenship.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
