Overview
- The Vatican confirmed Friday that Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, submitted a mail‑in ballot in Chicago ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026 midterm elections.
- Will County records show the pope requested a mail‑in ballot on Oct. 3, and state election files document a long history of voting by Prevost in Illinois primaries and general elections.
- Officials and the Vatican say the vote reflects the pope’s belief in civic participation but they did not say how the completed ballot was sent from the Vatican or who received it locally.
- The vote comes after the pope’s Oct. 13 lung surgery and during a period of public tension between Pope Leo and President Donald Trump over immigration and the war involving Iran.
- The ballot included major Illinois contests such as the governor’s race, the open U.S. Senate seat and a local House race, and the episode raises questions about logistics, privacy and the mixing of religious leadership with civic acts.