Pope Leo XIV has submitted a mail-in ballot in Chicago for the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, the Holy See Press Office confirmed Friday, making him the first pope known to vote in a U.S. election. The ballot was cast ahead of the Nov. 3 elections. Vatican News reported the Vatican’s announcement.
“Pope Leo XIV has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen, whenever he was eligible to do so,” the Vatican statement said. “In keeping with this long-standing practice of civic participation, he has submitted his mail-in ballot in Chicago.” The statement added that the pope had also voted while living in Peru and expressed his belief in “the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes.”
Leo, formerly Robert Francis Prevost, was born in Chicago on Sept. 14, 1955, and remains a U.S. citizen. His official Vatican biography says he later acquired Peruvian citizenship by naturalization in 2015 after spending more than two decades serving in Peru. The Holy See’s biography identifies his Chicago origins and Peruvian citizenship.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said the pope’s participation should encourage Catholics to vote while distinguishing civic responsibility from support for a particular candidate. “In voting, our Holy Father sets the example that encourages each citizen to exercise their civic responsibility,” Chieko Noguchi, the conference’s executive director of public affairs, said in a USCCB statement. The statement urged voters to inform their consciences and uphold human dignity and the common good.
Public records had indicated that Prevost requested a mail ballot through the Will County clerk’s office, where his Illinois voter registration is connected to New Lenox, a southwest Chicago suburb. Will County clerk’s office chief of staff Kim Fladhammer confirmed to the Chicago Sun-Times that Robert Francis Prevost appeared on the list of people who requested a ballot.
The Vatican’s confirmation came less than two weeks after Leo returned to the Vatican following surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung. Doctors diagnosed pulmonary adenocarcinoma, but later tests found the disease localized and determined that no further treatment was necessary, according to EWTN News’ account of the Vatican medical statement.
The ballot includes contests determined by Illinois election officials for the state and local districts in which Leo is registered. The pope’s selections remain private, as they do for every voter.