Pope Leo XIV has requested a mail ballot to vote in the November 3 midterm elections while residing at the Vatican. Will County Clerk’s Office officials in Illinois confirmed that the request was made on October 3 under the pope’s birth name, Robert Francis Prevost.
The pontiff remains a registered voter at an address in New Lenox, in suburban Chicago. Kim Fladhammer, chief of staff for the Will County clerk’s office, confirmed the details to the Chicago Sun-Times. Officials told NBC News that, as of Thursday, the county had not yet received a completed ballot. It is not known whether the pope has filled out or mailed it.
Pope Leo, elected in May 2025 as the first American-born pope, retains U.S. citizenship. Illinois law allows any registered voter to cast a ballot by mail without needing an excuse. Federal provisions under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act also support voting rights for American citizens living abroad. The ballot includes the U.S. Senate race to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin, the reelection contest for Gov. JB Pritzker, and various Will County races.
Public voting records show that Prevost has participated in previous Illinois elections, including general elections in 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2024, and has voted in both Democratic and Republican primaries in different years.
Illinois does not require voters to register with a political party. If he returns the ballot, he would become the first sitting pope known to cast a vote in a U.S. election. The Vatican has not publicly commented on the request.
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