By Ahmed Abdelsalam
Pope Leo XIV has registered to vote in next week’s United States midterm elections, becoming the first pontiff in history poised to cast a ballot in an American election if he submits his mail-in ballot.
Mail-in Ballot Requested from Illinois
The 71-year-old pope, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, requested a vote-by-mail ballot from the Will County Clerk’s office in Illinois, using an address in the southwestern Chicago suburb of New Lenox. Kim Fladhammer, the office’s chief of staff, confirmed that Prevost is on the list of individuals who requested a mail ballot for the upcoming election.
Previous Voting Record
Records indicate that the pontiff has voted in past presidential elections and in both Republican and Democratic primaries, though he did not participate in Illinois’s primaries in March of this year.
Midterms Seen as Referendum on Trump
Next week’s midterms are widely viewed as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s record. The president has urged conservatives to turn out as though he were on the ballot, while polling suggests Democrats are favored to regain control of the House and possibly the Senate.
Past Clashes with Trump
Earlier this year, Pope Leo and Trump sparred over the Iran conflict. The pope wrote on X that disciples of Christ are never on the side of those who drop bombs, prompting Trump to call him “weak” and “terrible” and to share an AI-generated image of himself as a divine figure. Vice President JD Vance, a recent Catholic convert, advised the pope to “be careful” when discussing theology.
Health and Upcoming Tour
The pope underwent surgery for lung cancer earlier this month but has recovered sufficiently to embark on a 12-day tour of Argentina, Uruguay and Peru beginning November 6, three days after the U.S. elections.
