First Papal U.S. Ballot Filed From Illinois Ahead of Nov. 3 Vote

Pope Leo XIV has become the first pope known to cast a ballot in a U.S. general election, with the Vatican confirming the matter on Friday as Illinois voters prepare to decide contested statewide offices on Nov. 3.

The Holy See press office said the pontiff, formerly Robert Prevost, submitted a mail-in ballot in Chicago. The office said he "has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen" and has done so "whenever he was eligible to do so." It added that "the Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes."

The Chicago Sun-Times first reported the vote. The paper quoted the chief of staff at the Will County clerk's office as saying that a mail-in ballot was requested on Oct. 3 for an address in New Lenox, where Leo is registered. That request came 10 days before he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung. He was released from the hospital on Oct. 17 and has been resuming his activities at the Vatican. How the ballot was returned has not been established.

U.S. federal law permits citizens living abroad to vote by absentee ballot, including those employed by foreign governments. Leo, 71, leads the Holy See, a city-state that holds no political elections. He is also a Peruvian citizen and lived there as a missionary priest and bishop for more than 20 years. The Vatican said he voted in Peru when eligible, though no evidence shows he cast a ballot in that country's national election earlier this year. No Vatican records indicate that the three popes before him, over the past half-century, voted in elections in their countries of origin. Michael Kelly, a papal historian, told CNN in a report published Friday that he was not aware of a pope voting in a democratic election before.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops commented on the decision. "In voting, our Holy Father sets the example that encourages each citizen to exercise their civic responsibility," said spokesperson Chieko Noguchi. She said the bishops have emphasized that it is not "'who' one is voting for," but rather encouraging Catholics to inform their conscience and to uphold human dignity and the common good.

Illinois election records held by the state board show that Robert Prevost has participated in five primary elections since 2000, taking a Democratic ballot twice and a Republican ballot three times. He requested Democratic ballots in 2008 and 2010 while registered in Cook County, then Republican ballots in 2012, 2014 and 2016 after moving to Will County. The records show ballots in every general election since 2000 except 2020 and 2022, and they do not identify the candidates chosen.

On Nov. 3, Illinois voters will decide whether to give Gov. JB Pritzker a third term and will fill the U.S. Senate seat left open by the retirement of Democrat Dick Durbin. The contest for that seat includes Democrat Juliana Stratton, the state's lieutenant governor, and Don Tracy, a Republican figure in Illinois.

Since becoming pope, Leo has drawn public criticism from President Donald Trump, who earlier this year called him "weak" and captive to the "radical left" after Leo condemned the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and called for dignified treatment of immigrants. Leo told reporters en route to Algeria: "I'm not afraid of the Trump administration or of speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel, which is what the church works for." He also supported a message from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that decried the "vilification of immigrants."