Somewhere between Vatican City and a county office in Joliet, Illinois, an envelope is making history. The Holy See confirmed on Friday that Pope Leo XIV has posted his vote for the November 3 midterm elections, which makes him the first pontiff ever known to take part in an American vote.
Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, Leo holds both US and Peruvian citizenship and is still registered at an address in New Lenox, the suburb where his older brother John lives. Will County officials said his request for a postal ballot came in on October 3, something the Chicago Sun-Times reported first. By Thursday, county staff were still waiting for the envelope to arrive.
The Vatican framed the move as a matter of habit rather than headlines. Its statement said Leo has always used his vote when he could, including during the years he spent in Peru, and that he regards taking part in democratic processes as both a right and a duty. A federal law guaranteeing absentee voting to citizens living abroad covers his case.
Records show a fairly steady voter. Prevost took part in four general elections since 2012, the most recent in 2024, and because Illinois has no party registration, he picked Republican primaries in some years and Democratic ones in others. This time his ballot includes the race to replace retiring Senator Dick Durbin and Governor JB Pritzker’s bid for a third term.
The timing carries political weight. Since his election in May 2025 Leo has spoken out against the Iran war and against how Washington handles migrants, prompting President Trump to call him “WEAK on crime”. How the pope actually voted, of course, stays secret.
