Pope Leo XIV cast first-ever U.S. General election ballot
The Chicago-born pontiff mailed in his vote for the November midterms from a New Lenox address, the Vatican confirmed Friday.
By Marco Alvarez ·
Pope Leo XIV became the first pope to vote in a United States general election. The Vatican confirmed on Friday that the Chicago-born leader submitted a mail-in ballot in Chicago ahead of the November midterm elections. The Holy See press office stated that Leo, formerly Robert Prevost, has exercised his right to vote as a U.S. Citizen whenever he was eligible to do so.
The Vatican statement noted that the pontiff has also voted while living in Peru. The office added that the Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes. Leo’s vote was-Times. The paper quoted the chief of staff at the Will County clerk’s office, who said the pope requested a mail-in ballot on Oct. 3 while registered at a New Lenox address.
Records from the Illinois State Board of Elections show that Robert Prevost has voted in five primary elections since 2000. He requested Democratic ballots in 2008 and 2010, and Republican ballots in 2012, 2014, and 2016. Illinois voters must declare a party preference to receive a ballot in primary elections, but no such declaration is required for general elections. The records do not show which specific candidates he supported in those primaries.
The election records also show that Prevost submitted ballots in every general election since 2000 except for the years 2020 and 2022. His registration history reflects his move from urban to suburban Illinois. He was registered in heavily Democratic Cook County when he requested Democratic primary ballots in 2008 and 2010. After moving to the more conservative suburban Will County, he requested Republican primary ballots in the subsequent three primary cycles.
The logistics of returning the current ballot are not fully detailed in public records. John Prevost, the pope’s brother, was in Rome this week accompanying parishioners from St. Jude’s in New Lenox. St. Jude’s is an Augustinian-run parish where the elder Prevost attends Mass. Leo gave a talk at that parish in 2024 while he was still a cardinal. The Vatican did not specify whether John Prevost returned the ballot or if it was sent directly from Chicago.
The midterms are scheduled for November. The next step in the electoral process is the counting of mail-in ballots by local election officials. The Illinois State Board of Elections maintains the public record of Prevost’s voting history, which spans over two decades of participation in state and federal elections.
