Pope Leo XIV Voted In The U.S. Congressional Midterm Elections

31.10.2026, 9:34

He became the first pontiff in history to cast a vote in an election outside the Vatican.

Pope Leo XIV cast his vote in the U.S. midterm elections, by mailing an absentee ballot to the state of Illinois. He became the first pontiff in history to vote in an election outside the Vatican, according to the BBC.

“The Holy Father expresses his belief in the right and duty of citizens to participate in democratic processes,” reads a statement from the Vatican press office.

Since May 2025, the head of the Roman Catholic Church has been a U.S. citizen—the current Pope was born in Chicago in 1936.

“Pope Leo XIV exercised his right to vote as a U.S. citizen whenever he had the opportunity,” the Vatican reported, noting that this included his many years of service as a priest and bishop in Peru.

The U.S. midterm elections will determine which political party controls Congress and will have a significant impact on the final years of Donald Trump’s presidency.

The elections will take place nationwide on November 3, though early voting has already begun in most states.

According to NBC News, on October 3, the Pope requested an absentee ballot from the Will County Clerk’s Office in Illinois.

Less than two weeks later, the Vatican announced that he had undergone surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung after being diagnosed with cancer.

Last week, the Vatican confirmed that the 71-year-old Pope will visit Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru in early November, as planned.

Since ascending to the papacy, the Pope has had several conflicts with the Donald Trump administration—over the president’s immigration policy and the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran.

In April, tensions between the Pope and the U.S. president escalated after Leo XIV called for peace in response to U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran.

“I don’t think he’s doing a very good job,” President Trump responded. “We don’t like a pope who says it’s okay to have nuclear weapons. I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo.”

Leo XIV responded to this criticism. “The Church’s mission is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace,” his statement read. “And if someone wants to criticize me for preaching the Gospel... I simply hope that people will listen to me for the sake of the value of God’s words.”

In the final days leading up to the midterm elections, politicians from the Republican and Democratic parties are traveling across the country to boost their candidates’ chances.

Polls show that the Democrats have a better chance of gaining control of the House of Representatives—and in some places, they may even win seats in districts where, not long ago, in the 2024 presidential election, the population supported Donald Trump by an overwhelming majority.

The Democrats also appear to have a chance to win additional seats in the Senate—the upper chamber of Congress.

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