Pope Leo Casts Mail-In Vote in U.S. Midterm Election

Pope Leo submitted a mail-in ballot for the U.S. midterm elections from Chicago, the city of his birth, the Vatican announced on Friday. The vote makes him the first sitting pontiff known to have participated in a political election.

The Holy See said Leo "has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen, whenever he was eligible to do so," noting that he had also voted while living in Peru as a missionary. A Vatican statement added that the Holy Father believes "in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes."

Before his election, Leo was known as Robert Prevost. He requested a mail-in ballot on October 3, registering at an address in New Lenox, Illinois, ten days before undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung. He was discharged from the hospital on October 17 and has been gradually resuming public duties.

Leo and President Donald Trump have publicly disagreed on immigration policy, with the pope describing the president’s measures as "inhuman." Earlier this year, Trump criticized Leo’s comments on the U.S.–Israeli conflict with Iran, calling the pontiff "weak on crime" and "terrible on foreign policy." Leo responded that he was "not afraid" of Trump.

In a July interview with a U.S. broadcaster, Leo expressed "great love" for his home country and its traditions of freedom, opportunity and welcoming immigrants, while noting he "just happens to be American."

The pope is scheduled for an 11-day trip to Latin America in November, covering ten cities. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s foreign minister, said a future papal visit to the United States is expected, adding that the outcome of the midterms could affect whether such a trip occurs in 2027 or later.