Pope Leo Just Made an Unexpected Bit of US Election History

Pope Leo XIV isn't letting his recovery from lung cancer-related surgery stop him from carrying out his civic duty as an American citizen, and has, in fact, just made a little U.S. election history.

The Vatican confirmed Friday that Leo has cast a mail-in ballot in Illinois' November 3 midterm elections, becoming the first pontiff known to have voted in an American election.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the 71-year-old pope, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost, requested his ballot back on October 3 through the Will County clerk's office. That was just 10 days before he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his right lung, as RedState previously reported.

Pope Leo has since returned home to the Vatican and resumed some of his public duties, with his doctors confirming last week that the cancer had not spread and no further treatment would be necessary.

Holy See said in a Friday statement that the pope has consistently exercised his voting rights whenever eligible, including during the years he lived as a missionary in Peru.

"The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes," the statement read.

Pope Leo XIV has become the first pontiff to vote in a U.S. election. The Vatican confirmed Friday that the American-born pope submitted a mail-in ballot in his native Chicago ahead of November's midterm elections, citing his longstanding belief in civic participation.

The pope,… pic.twitter.com/UmRTroO7U7

— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 30, 2026

While we don't know who Pope Leo may have voted for in this year's elections, we do know that he took part in Democrat primaries in 2008 and 2010 and Republican primaries in 2012, 2014, and 2016. A look at Illinois voting records revealed he also participated in several general elections, including the 2024 presidential election.

And we'll likely never know who Leo voted for in his first U.S. election since becoming pope because, well, that's between him and the ballot box.

RedState will be providing full election coverage on Tuesday, so mark your calendars right now and plan to join us for what promises to be an interesting night.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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