30.10.2026 15:12
US-born Pope Leo XIV requested a ballot from election officials in the state of Illinois to vote by mail in the US midterm elections to be held on November 3. It was stated that if the Pope, who retains US citizenship, votes, he will go down in history as the first serving pope to vote in American political elections. However, it was announced that the Pope's completed ballot has not yet reached election officials.
The spiritual leader of the Catholic world, Pope Leo XIV, took a noteworthy step ahead of the midterm elections to be held in the US on November 3.
It has emerged that the Chicago-born Pope applied to the Will County Election Office in Illinois on October 3 and requested a mail-in ballot. Election officials confirmed the application made in the name of the Pope's birth name, Robert Francis Prevost.
WILL MAKE HISTORY IF HE VOTES
Pope Leo XIV, who became head of the Catholic Church in 2025, is the first US-born pope.
There is no legal obstacle to the Pope, who has not renounced his US citizenship, voting in the elections.
It is stated that if the Pope casts his vote, he will go down in history as the first reigning pope to participate in political elections in the US.
THE BALLOT HAS NOT YET BEEN RETURNED
Will County Election Office officials announced that, as of October 29, the Pope's completed ballot had not reached them.
It is not yet known whether the Pope has voted or mailed the ballot.
The ballot of the Pope, who lives in the Vatican, must reach Illinois for the completion of election procedures.
HE HAD ALSO VOTED IN US ELECTIONS BEFORE
It has been determined that Pope Leo XIV voted in various elections in the US before becoming pope.
According to election records, the Pope participated in the general elections in 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2024. He also voted in the primaries of both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party in past years.
However, this vote carries particular importance because it may be the first US election the Pope will participate in as leader of the Catholic Church.