Vatican Confirms Chicago-Born Pope Leo XIV Voted in Illinois Midterms, Making U.S. Election History

VATICAN CITY / CHICAGO, October 30, 2026. Pope Leo XIV has voted in the upcoming U.S. midterm election, according to a statement issued Friday by the Vatican, making the Chicago-born leader of the Roman Catholic Church the first sitting pope known to cast a ballot in an American general election.

The announcement adds an unusual chapter to Illinois election history. Leo, who was born Robert Francis Prevost and became the first American-born pope in May 2025, remains a U.S. citizen and is registered to vote in Will County, southwest of Chicago. The election is Tuesday, November 3.

The Holy See press office confirmed that Leo exercised his right to vote as a U.S. citizen and described electoral participation as both a right and a civic responsibility. The Vatican also said he had voted in earlier elections while living in Peru, where he spent decades as a missionary and bishop. The Associated Press reported the Vatican confirmation Friday.

WHAT LOCAL ELECTION OFFICIALS HAVE CONFIRMED

The Will County clerk's office previously confirmed that the pontiff requested a vote-by-mail ballot on October 3 under his birth name. Kim Fladhammer, the office's chief of staff, confirmed the request to the Chicago Sun-Times, which reported the development on October 29. The voter registration is associated with New Lenox, Illinois.

As of Thursday, October 29, county officials told NBC News that the office had not yet received a completed ballot from the Vatican. Friday's Vatican statement confirms the pope voted, but it does not independently establish when the ballot arrived at the county clerk's office or whether it has been accepted and counted. The method by which the ballot was returned has not been publicly established.

That distinction matters because casting a ballot and having it received and counted are separate steps in mail voting. Election administrators apply the same eligibility, receipt and verification requirements to overseas ballots as the applicable law requires. No information has been released about the candidates Leo selected.

THE POPE'S ILLINOIS VOTING HISTORY

Public voting-history records reviewed by the Associated Press show that Prevost participated in several U.S. general elections before becoming pope. They also show he requested Democratic primary ballots in 2008 and 2010 and Republican primary ballots in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

Those records do not reveal how he voted in any race. Illinois voters do not register permanently with a political party; choosing a party's primary ballot is not proof of party membership or support for a particular candidate. His voting choices in the 2026 election remain private.

The pope's long ties to the Chicago area give the development particular local significance. Although he now leads the Catholic Church from Vatican City, his civic registration remains in the Chicago metropolitan region, and eligible U.S. citizens living abroad may participate in elections under the relevant voting rules.

WHAT IS ON THE NOVEMBER 3 BALLOT

Illinois voters will decide races for governor, including Governor JB Pritzker's bid for another term, and a U.S. Senate seat opening after longtime Senator Dick Durbin's retirement. Will County voters also face state, county and judicial contests.

The Vatican's statement did not endorse a candidate or political party. It emphasized participation in democratic life rather than a preference in any specific contest. Neither the Holy See nor local election officials have disclosed the contents of the pope's ballot.

For Chicago-area voters, the news is a reminder that this year's election reaches well beyond neighborhood polling places. An Illinois voter now serving as the world's most prominent Catholic leader has participated from overseas, while the ordinary administrative question of when his ballot will be received and counted remains separate from the Vatican's announcement.

Image: St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, photographed by Daderot in 2019 and released under the CC0 public-domain dedication via Wikimedia Commons. This archival photograph is illustrative and does not depict the pope casting a ballot.