Pope Leo XIV Votes in US Election for First Time in History
The Vatican confirmed that Pope Leo XIV voted by mail in the 2026 midterm elections in Illinois. It is the first time a serving pontiff has taken part in a US election.
Gurban Gurbanzadeh2 min read
Pope Leo XIV, a US citizen, voted in the 2026 midterm elections in Illinois by mail ballot. The Vatican announced this on Friday. It is the first time a serving pope, as far as is known, has taken part in a vote in the United States.
According to reports from several international agencies, the pontiff sent his ballot by mail. Citing SCMP, the ballot was sent from the Vatican. Leo XIV is a US citizen.
Radio station WJOL in Joliet first reported on October 23 that Leo XIV had requested a mail-in ballot.
The Vatican's position
In a statement from the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican said the Pope believes that "citizens have the right and duty to participate in democratic processes."
The Vatican also said Leo XIV "has used his right to vote as a citizen of the United States every time he has had that right," and that "in keeping with this long-standing practice of civic participation, he sent his ballot by mail in Chicago." According to the Vatican, during his life in Peru Leo XIV also voted whenever he had such an opportunity.
What is on the ballot
The ballot, according to the source, includes elections for Illinois governor, where incumbent JB Pritzker is seeking re-election; a contest for the Senate seat held by Dick Durbin; and elections to the House of Representatives. Democrat Jonathan Jackson and Republican Kristian Maxwell are competing in the House race. Jackson, son of the late clergyman Jesse Jackson, won his district comfortably in 2024.
The office of the Will County executive in Illinois, where Leo XIV is registered as a voter, did not respond to Axios's request for comment.
Context
The pontiff, who was elected after the death of Pope Francis, was recently seen in public on Wednesday meeting activists from the Chicago area who support immigrants at the ICE detention center in Broadview, Illinois. He has previously clashed with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic, over the war in Iran and the treatment of immigrants in the US.
Source: aa.com.tr
