Pope Leo XIV Casts Mail-In Ballot in U.S. Midterm Election
The Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo XIV, a U.S. citizen, submitted a mail-in ballot from Chicago ahead of the November midterm elections.
Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost in Chicago, has filed a mail-in ballot for the upcoming U.S. midterm elections, the Vatican announced on Friday. The Holy See press office said the pontiff exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen, a practice he has followed whenever eligible.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the pope, registered at an address in New Lenox, requested the ballot on Oct. 3, just days before undergoing lung-cancer surgery. He was released from the hospital on Oct. 17 and has resumed his duties at the Vatican, including preparations for a planned trip to South America.
In a September address to a general audience, Leo urged the faithful to move beyond “passivity and indifference” toward current events, emphasizing the need for active engagement and solidarity with those facing injustice, discrimination and violence.
According to Illinois election records, Leo has voted in every general election since 2000, except in 2020 and 2022, and has participated in five primary elections, alternating between Democratic and Republican ballots. He holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship and previously served as a missionary and bishop in Peru.