Pope Leo makes history by voting in US midterms

By Christopher Lamb

(CNN) — Pope Leo XIV has submitted a mail-in ballot for the US midterms, becoming the first pope to vote in a US election and likely the first to vote in a secular democratic election.

The first American pope “has submitted his mail-in ballot in Chicago,” the Vatican said in a statement Friday. “The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and the duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes,” the statement said.

Michael Walsh, a British historian and author who has written several books on the papacy, said Leo XIV would be the first pope to vote in a democratic, secular election.

“I don’t think popes have ever voted in a democratic election before,” he told CNN.

Records show that the pope, who remains a US citizen, is registered as a voter in the Chicago suburb of New Lenox where his brother, John, lives. The Chicago-born pontiff has cast ballots in both Republican and Democratic primaries in recent years and cast a vote in the 2024 presidential election.

Since his election to the papacy in May 2025, the pope has encouraged civic involvement, urging people to make their voices heard about the US-Israel war against Iran.

The pope has clashed with President Donald Trump’s administration over the war in Iran and its immigration crackdown. Earlier this year, the president launched an unprecedented set of broadsides against Leo XIV, although Trump has been less critical of him lately — frequently talking about how the pope’s eldest brother, Louis, is a Trump supporter.

CNN has asked the Will County Clerk’s Office for comment.

Laura Sharman contributed to this report.

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