In a quiet act of civic participation, Pope Leo XIV, the Chicago-born pontiff, has mailed his ballot in Illinois for the November midterms, becoming the first pope known to vote in an American election. The Holy See frames the gesture as an expression of a citizen's right and duty to take part in democratic life, a reminder that the man who leads the Church also carries the ordinary civic obligations of his birth. The act lands amid a strained relationship with the Trump administration, over immigration and the war with Iran, and it arrives as a nation prepares to decide who will steer its Con
Pope Leo XIV Becomes First Pontiff to Vote in a US Election
The first pope to vote in an American election
Mark
Why does a pope voting by mail count as news?
Mimi
Because no pope has done it before. Leo is the first American to hold the office, and the Vatican says he's voted whenever he was eligible, even while living in Peru.
Mark
The Vatican put out a statement about it. Was that deliberate?
Luke
The statement exists, and it says he believes in the right and duty to take part in democratic processes. Why they chose to issue it, the reporting doesn't say.
Mark
There's a political backdrop, though.
Mimi
Yes. He's clashed with the Trump administration over immigration enforcement and the war with Iran, and in April Trump said he wasn't a big fan of the pope.
Luke
Worth noting that we don't know how he voted. Nothing in the reporting says, and the ballot is secret.
Mark
And the timeline with his health?
Mimi
He requested the ballot on 3 October, per NBC News. Less than two weeks later the Vatican announced lung surgery after a cancer diagnosis.
Luke
Those are two facts side by side, not a connection. The Vatican has confirmed he's still going to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in early November.
Mark
What should readers watch?
Mimi
The 3 November election, where polls favour Democrats in the House, and that trip.
Der Puls
- The first pope to vote in a US election has quietly cast his ballot as the nation heads toward a charged midterm contest.
- Tensions with the Trump administration sharpened after the pontiff called for peace following strikes on Iran, drawing a sharp presidential rebuke.
- Leo has answered his critics by insisting the Church's mission is to preach the Gospel and peace, asking only to be heard.
- Democrats are favoured to take the House, and Republicans are holding rallies in states they normally consider safe.
- The Pope's health and his planned early-November trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru will test how the Vatican navigates the vote's aftermath.
In a quiet act of civic participation, Pope Leo XIV, the Chicago-born pontiff, has mailed his ballot in Illinois for the November midterms, becoming the first pope known to vote in an American election. The Holy See frames the gesture as an expression of a citizen's right and duty to take part in democratic life, a reminder that the man who leads the Church also carries the ordinary civic obligations of his birth. The act lands amid a strained relationship with the Trump administration, over immigration and the war with Iran, and it arrives as a nation prepares to decide who will steer its Congress through the final stretch of a presidency.
Pope Leo XIV has mailed in his ballot in Illinois for the US midterm elections, making him the first pope to vote in an American election. The Holy See Press Office says he has voted as a US citizen whenever he was eligible, including during his years in Peru. He requested the ballot from the Will County Clerk's Office on 3 October, a small administrative step that now carries outsized symbolism.
Born in Chicago, Leo is the first American to hold the Vatican's highest office since his selection in May 2025. Less than two weeks after requesting his ballot, the Vatican announced he had undergone surgery to remove a lower lobe of his right lung after a lung cancer diagnosis. He is 71, and the Vatican has confirmed he will still travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in early November.
His relationship with Washington has been strained. He has clashed with the administration over immigration enforcement and the US-Israel war with Iran, and in April, after strikes on Iran, he called for peace. President Trump responded that he did not think the pope was doing a very good job, and said he was not a big fan. Leo replied that the Church's mission is to preach the Gospel and peace, and that he hopes to be listened to for the value of God's words.
The election is set for 3 November, with early voting already underway in most states. Polls suggest Democrats are favoured to take the House and may gain Senate seats, while Republicans have turned to rallies in traditionally safe territory. The pope's ballot is cast, and his journey south begins just as Americans go to the polls.
Pope Leo XIV has mailed in his ballot in Illinois for the US midterm elections, making him the first pope to vote in an American election. The Holy See Press Office confirmed it in a statement that framed the act in civic terms: the Holy Father, it said, believes in the right and the duty of citizens to take part in democratic processes.
Leo was born in Chicago and is the first US citizen to hold the Vatican's highest office, a post he took up after his selection in May 2025. The press office said he has voted as a United States citizen whenever he was eligible, including during his years in Peru. According to NBC News, he requested his mail-in ballot from the Will County Clerk's Office on 3 October.
Less than two weeks after that request, the Vatican announced that the pope had undergone surgery to remove a lower lobe of his right lung, after a diagnosis of lung cancer. He is 71. Last week the Vatican confirmed that he will travel as planned to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru in early November.
His relationship with the Trump administration has been strained since he took office. He has clashed with it over immigration enforcement and over the US-Israel war with Iran. Tensions sharpened in April, when the pope called for peace after US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Donald Trump responded that he did not think the pope was doing a very good job. "We don't like a Pope that's going to say that it's OK to have a nuclear weapon," the president said, adding that he was not a big fan of Pope Leo.
Leo answered later, according to Reuters. The mission of the Church, he said, is to preach the Gospel and to preach peace. If someone wants to criticise him for that, he said, he hopes simply to be listened to because of the value of God's words.
The election itself will be held nationwide on 3 November, though early voting has already begun in most states. The midterms will determine which party controls Congress and will shape the final years of Trump's presidency. Officials from both parties are criss-crossing the country in the closing days.
Polls suggest the Democrats are favourites to win control of the House of Representatives, and are poised to take seats in Republican-leaning areas that voted overwhelmingly for Trump in the 2024 presidential race. They also appear to have a chance of gaining Senate seats. The gloomy outlook for Republicans has led Trump to hold several rallies in states where Republican wins are normally all but guaranteed.
The pope's ballot is now cast, and his trip to Latin America begins in early November, just as Americans go to the polls.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes.— Holy See Press Office
I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo.— Donald Trump, April
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