Pope Leo XIV Becomes First Pontiff to Vote in U.S. Midterm Elections
Pope Leo XIV has made history by becoming the first sitting pontiff to cast a ballot in a United States election. The Vatican confirmed that the Chicago-born pope submitted a mail-in ballot for the upcoming Illinois midterms, exercising his rights as a U.S. citizen. Officials noted that the Pope has a long-standing practice of participating in democratic processes, having voted in both U.S. and Peruvian elections during his time as a bishop. The Vatican emphasized that Leo views civic participation as both a fundamental right and a moral duty for all citizens. This unprecedented action highlights the Pope's commitment to maintaining his citizenship and engaging in the political life of his home country.
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Pope Leo XIV has submitted a mail-in ballot for Illinois’s Nov. 3 midterm elections, becoming the first pope to vote in a U.S. election. The Vatican described his participation as an exercise of his rights and duties as a U.S. citizen. 1 2
The Vatican confirmed that Leo voted by mail in Chicago, where he was born. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that he requested a ballot on Oct. 3 through the Will County clerk’s office and is registered at an address in New Lenox, Illinois. 1 2
The ballot includes the Illinois U.S. Senate race and the governor’s race, as well as county and judicial contests. As of Oct. 29, the county clerk’s office had not yet received the ballot, according to a report cited by OSV News. 1 2
Voting records cited by the Sun-Times show that Leo voted in Democratic primaries in 2008 and 2010, and Republican primaries in 2012, 2014 and 2016. He also voted in the general elections of 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2024, but not in Illinois’s March 2026 primary; state voters may choose which party’s ballot to use in each primary. 1 2
The Vatican said Leo also voted in eligible elections while living in Peru, where he was a bishop from 2014 to 2023. He is a U.S. citizen and a naturalized Peruvian citizen. His decision to request a U.S. ballot followed earlier questions about whether serving as pope would require him to give up U.S. citizenship; the National Catholic Reporter noted that U.S. citizens serving in foreign governments lose citizenship only if they act voluntarily with the intention of relinquishing it. 1 2
The Vatican said Leo believes citizens have both a “right and a duty” to participate in democratic processes. In a separate statement, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops public-affairs executive director Chieko Noguchi said his vote “sets the example” for citizens to exercise their civic responsibility. 1 2
Leo has described authentic democracy as recognizing every person’s dignity and inviting responsible participation in pursuing the common good. He has also cited the importance of citizens being able to choose, hold accountable and peacefully replace their leaders. 1*
Catholic teachings on civic participation and democratic responsibility
Catholic teaching regards civic participation as both a right and a responsibility: citizens should help shape public life for the good of all, while judging political choices by respect for human dignity and moral truth. Democracy can provide valuable ways for people to participate, but it is not simply majority rule; it depends on protecting the rights of persons and pursuing the common good. Catholics are therefore called neither to withdraw from public life nor to identify their faith uncritically with a party or political movement.
The Church teaches that participation in public life is more than an optional interest for unusually political people. The Second Vatican Council describes citizens as having both the right and the duty to use their vote for the common good, and recognizes the service of those who accept the burdens of public office. It also calls for political structures that allow citizens to participate freely and actively in public affairs.
Participation includes voting, but is not limited to it. Catholics may contribute through public service, community organizations, communication with elected officials, political parties, advocacy, and other forms of lawful civic involvement. The US bishops also encourage lay Catholics to consider running for office and taking part in political and social initiatives. These are ways to bring practical experience, moral reasoning, and concern for neighbors into public decisions.
The responsibility is rooted in the Christian vocation to serve others. Catholic political engagement should attend to the dignity of every person, the common good, and those who are weak or vulnerable—not only the interests of one’s own group. This is why the Church can regard political service as a worthy vocation and, when directed toward the common good, a form of charity.
The Church values democratic participation, but does not treat democratic procedure as the source of moral truth. A vote or majority decision cannot, by itself, make an unjust action right. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith teaches that democracy succeeds only insofar as it rests on a sound understanding of the human person; respect for the person and protection of rights make meaningful participation possible.
That means civic responsibility includes protecting the conditions that allow people and communities to contribute: freedom, equal treatment, recognized rights, and opportunities for lawful participation. Vatican II likewise stresses that public authority should respect persons, families, and social groups, and should not obstruct their legitimate activity. Citizens, in turn, should not place excessive power in the hands of the state or treat public authority as the only source of social action.
Catholic political responsibility thus involves both participating in democratic institutions and asking whether those institutions serve human beings justly. Democracy is important as a way of sharing in political decisions; it is not a substitute for conscience, justice, or the moral limits that protect human dignity.
Catholics are called to form their consciences rather than simply follow a party, candidate, or political crowd. The US bishops say that political engagement should be shaped by moral convictions and that political loyalties must not lead Catholics to neglect or deny fundamental moral truths. They also describe the Church’s role as helping form consciences and explaining the moral dimensions of public questions, rather than endorsing or opposing candidates.
A well-formed conscience is not merely personal preference. It involves serious reflection on moral principles and the consequences of public decisions, guided by reason and the Church’s teaching. The Church’s concern is that Catholics bring their faith into public life without turning political affiliation into a substitute for moral judgment. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith points to St. Thomas More as a witness to the fact that fidelity to legitimate political institutions does not require abandoning conscience or separating politics from morality.
This does not mean every political question has one obvious Catholic policy answer. The supplied texts establish moral principles and civic duties, but do not settle every practical dispute about how a policy should be designed. Catholics may therefore disagree about particular proposals while still taking seriously the demands of human dignity, justice, and the common good. The key is to reason honestly, avoid reducing moral judgment to partisan loyalty, and remain willing to assess policies and political groups critically.
The Church’s public role is not to replace government or take over the political process. The US bishops distinguish the Church’s responsibility to teach moral principles and form consciences from the lay faithful’s direct responsibility to work for a just ordering of society. Catholics in public life should cooperate with fellow citizens, including those who do not share the faith, while contributing their convictions to public discussion.
Religious participation in public debate is also compatible with a pluralistic society. The bishops argue that people of faith and religious institutions should be able to speak and participate in public life without being forced to abandon their central moral convictions. In Catholic understanding, bringing religiously informed moral concerns into civic discussion is not automatically an attack on democracy; it can contribute to the public reasoning needed to serve the common good.
In practice, Catholic civic responsibility involves more than choosing a candidate. It means taking an informed interest in public questions, considering how decisions affect people beyond oneself, and contributing through forms of service suited to one’s abilities and responsibilities. It also means respecting lawful institutions while remaining ready to speak and act when justice is at stake. The Church’s teaching rejects both political disengagement and the idea that politics can be separated from moral responsibility.
The underlying standard is service of the common good: the conditions that help people and communities flourish, with respect for every person’s dignity and rights. Catholic participation is therefore not simply about winning political contests. It is a way of serving neighbors and seeking a society in which public life is ordered toward justice and the good of all.