Chicago-born Pope Leo becomes first pontiff to vote in US election after blasting Trump over Iran war and president’s treatment of migrants
Pope Leo voted by post in Illinois’s 2026 midterm elections, becoming the first pope reported to have voted in a US general election. The Vatican said he has voted when eligible and described participation in democratic processes as both a right and a duty.
The Chicago-born pope is registered in New Lenox and has voted in Republican and Democratic primaries, as well as the 2024 presidential election. His latest ballot comes amid public disagreements with President Trump over the Iran war and the treatment of migrants; Trump has criticised Leo, who has called for peace through dialogue. In 2024, Trump won 55 per cent of Catholic voters, according to AP VoteCast.
In short
- Pope Leo voted by post in Illinois’s 2026 midterms.
- He is the first pope reported to vote in a US general election.
- The ballot comes amid his public disagreements with Trump.
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The case for
The pope’s vote can be seen as an ordinary exercise of a citizen’s democratic rights and duties, which the Vatican says he has used whenever eligible. His participation may also reflect the view that faith and public life are not wholly separate, especially when war and the treatment of migrants raise moral questions.
The case against
A pope’s vote carries unusual symbolic weight, so even routine participation could be read as the Vatican aligning itself with a party or entering partisan politics. Given Leo’s public disputes with Trump and the strong support Trump received from Catholic voters, critics may worry that his ballot blurs the distinction between moral advocacy and political influence.
Explained simply
Pope Leo, who was born in Chicago, is the head of the Roman Catholic Church and the first pope from the United States. US midterm elections take place halfway through a president’s four-year term and determine who represents voters in Congress, as well as some state and local offices.
Leo is registered to vote in Illinois and has taken part in earlier US elections. The Vatican says voting is a right and a duty for eligible citizens; his participation is unusual because popes are generally associated with the Vatican and its international role.
The vote comes as Leo and President Donald Trump have publicly disagreed over the war in Iran and the treatment of migrants. Their differing views matter to US Catholics, who are a large and politically diverse group: Trump won 55 per cent of Catholic voters in the 2024 presidential election, according to AP VoteCast.
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