Pope Leo makes history again, becoming first pontiff to vote in a U.S. election

POPE Leo XIV is mailing it in — for democracy.

Leo, a Chicago native, cast his mail-in ballot for the U.S. midterms, the Vatican confirmed on Friday, Oct. 30. In doing so, he added another first to his papal resume: becoming the first pope to vote in a U.S. election.

“Pope Leo XIV has exercised his right to vote as a United States citizen, whenever he was eligible to do so,” the Vatican said in a statement. “The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes.”

The Will County Clerk’s Office chief of staff confirmed to NBC News that the pontiff, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost, requested a ballot on Oct. 3 — 10 days before undergoing lung cancer surgery.

His ballot will now go from Vatican City to Joliet, Ill.

Public records obtained by NBC News reported that the pontiff has cast ballots in the 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2024 general elections. He also voted in Republican primaries in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

Illinois residents do not register to vote by party, according to the report, selecting which party’s primary they want to vote in each election cycle.

The Vatican did not share any information on how Leo voted in this year’s midterm election.

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Earlier this month, after being diagnosed with lung cancer, surgeons removed the lower lobe of the pontiff’s right lung, the Vatican announced on Oct. 13.

“The Pope was in the operating room approximately three hours, while the operation itself lasted about 90 minutes,” their statement read. “The doctors said it was successful and there were no complications.”

On Wednesday, Oct. 21, the Vatican announced that no addition treatment was needed.