POPE LEO XIV CASTS BALLOT IN US MIDTERM ELECTIONS

The Holy See Press Office said Pope Leo XIV had submitted a postal ballot from the Vatican for the US midterm elections. His vote makes him the first pope to cast a ballot in a US election. The office said he had voted as a US citizen whenever eligible, including while living in Peru. “The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes,” it said. Leo requested his ballot from the Will County Clerk’s Office in Illinois on 3 October, using an address in New Lenox, near Chicago.

Born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, Leo became the first US citizen to lead the Roman Catholic Church when he was elected in May 2025. His election followed the death of Pope Francis. He has not returned to the United States since becoming pope. Voting records show he previously took part in presidential elections and both Republican and Democratic primaries. He did not vote in Illinois’s primaries in March this year.

The 3 November midterms will determine which party controls Congress during the remaining years of Donald Trump’s presidency. Early voting has begun in most states. Leo and Trump have disagreed over US immigration enforcement and the war involving the US, Israel and Iran. After Leo called for peace following US-Israeli strikes on Iran in April, Trump said: “I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo.” Leo later said: “The mission of the Church is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace.”