Pope Leo XIV has submitted a request for a vote-by-mail ballot for the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for November 3, 2026, while remaining registered in Will County, Illinois.
This request was made under his birth name, Robert Francis Prevost, and has been confirmed by Kim Fladhammer, the chief of staff for the Will County clerk’s office, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Prevost is listed at a New Lenox address, located in a suburb south of Chicago, where his brother resides. The Will County office in Joliet issued the ballot to be delivered to his Vatican residence, where Leo has served since his election in May 2025.
As of October 29 and into the next day, the clerk’s office had not yet received a completed ballot. It remains unclear if it was filled out or returned.
If the ballot is completed and counted, Leo would make history as the first sitting pope to cast a vote in a U.S. election. Notably, this represents the first recorded instance of a pope engaging in any secular election throughout Catholic Church history, as no previous pope is documented to have voted while in office.
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He may be the leader of the Catholic church, but Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV is still a registered voter in Illinois and requested a mail ballot for the midterm elections.
— Tina Sfondeles (@TinaSfon) October 29, 2026
According to Illinois law, any registered voter can request a vote-by-mail ballot without needing to provide an excuse. This policy replaced the former absentee voting system, which required justification prior to 2010.
U.S. citizens residing abroad maintain voting rights under federal laws like the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, along with Illinois regulations, given they keep a qualifying registration or have residency links. Timely requests could secure a comprehensive ballot that includes state, local, and federal offices, while later requests might restrict the ballot to federal positions only.
<pPrevost continues to be registered at his New Lenox address, which supports the issuance of his ballot.
Historical records reveal that Prevost participated in several Illinois elections before becoming pope. His voting history includes Democratic primary ballots in 2008 and 2010, and Republican primary ballots in 2012, 2014, and 2016. He also voted in general elections in 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2024, with the last being through absentee ballot.
Neither the Holy See Press Office nor Prevost’s family members have officially confirmed whether the ballot will be returned for this electoral cycle. Leo, who also holds Peruvian citizenship, underwent surgery in October 2026 to remove a cancerous nodule from his right lung.
