Pope Leo XIV has requested a vote-by-mail ballot for the November 3, 2026 U.S. midterm elections while remaining a registered voter in Will County, Illinois.
The request, which was made on October 3 under his birth name Robert Francis Prevost, was confirmed by Kim Fladhammer, chief of staff for the Will County clerk’s office, according to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Prevost is registered at an address in New Lenox, a southwestern Chicago suburb, where his older brother John Prevost resides. The ballot was issued from the Will County office in Joliet for delivery in connection with the Vatican City residence where Leo has served as pope since his election in May 2025.
As of late October 29 and into October 30, the clerk’s office had not received a completed ballot. Officials stated it was unclear whether the ballot had been filled out or returned.
Should the completed ballot be returned and counted, Leo would become the first sitting pope known to cast a vote in a U.S. election. Contemporary reporting further describes this as the first documented instance of a reigning pontiff participating in any secular civil election during the Catholic Church’s history. No prior pope is recorded as having voted in a nation’s elections while in office.
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Illinois law permits any registered voter to request and cast a vote-by-mail ballot without providing an excuse. The state’s previous absentee system, which required a stated reason, was discontinued after 2010.
U.S. citizens living overseas retain voting eligibility under federal provisions such as the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act and corresponding Illinois rules, provided they maintain a qualifying registration or prior residency connection. Requests received in a timely manner can yield a full ballot covering state and local as well as federal offices when the voter indicates an intent to return, while later requests may limit the ballot to federal offices only.
Prevost’s continued registration at the New Lenox address has supported issuance of the ballot.
Public records show that Prevost voted in Illinois elections before becoming pope. He selected Democratic primary ballots in 2008 and 2010 and Republican primary ballots in 2012, 2014, and 2016. He cast general-election ballots in 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2024, the last of these by absentee ballot.
Neither the Holy See Press Office nor family members have issued public statements confirming whether the ballot for this cycle will be returned. Leo, who is also a citizen of Peru, underwent surgery in October 2026 to remove a portion of his right lung after diagnosis of a nodule that was later identified as cancerous.
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