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Pope Leo XIV Requests Mail-In Ballot for 2026 Midterms

By Drooid · Oct 30, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

Pope Leo XIV (Robert Francis Prevost) requested a mail-in ballot for the November 3, 2026 midterm election.
He submitted the request on Oct. 3, 2026 through the Will County, Illinois clerk’s office.
If returned, his vote would make him the first pope in history to cast a ballot in a secular election.
Public records show he voted in the 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2024 general elections and Republican and Democratic primaries.
He has not yet mailed a completed ballot, according to the clerk’s office.

Summary

Pope Leo XIV will meet individual clergy-abuse survivors during his November 6-17 South American tour.
French survivors in Lourdes praised the pope’s personal empathy and admission of Church failures.
Peruvian Survivors Network said the itinerary first omitted abuse meetings, prompting the Vatican to add sessions.
Opus Dei is accused of trafficking Argentine women.
Forty-three victims have asked the pope to intervene and apologize.

History

In 1980, Pope John Paul II’s public endorsement of Poland’s Solidarity union helped catalyze the movement’s surge toward democratic and political reform. The Vatican reported that Solidarity’s membership swelled to 10 million, representing roughly 30 percent of Poland’s working-age population by 1979 and growth. Today, Pope Leo XIV’s ballot request for the November 3, 2026 midterms echoes John Paul II’s 1980 activism, and his abuse-survivor meetings recall Vatican outreach to Polish dissenters. The precedent suggests future pontiffs may increasingly engage in secular politics and victim-centered diplomacy, prompting governments and churches to reassess separation norms and accountability mechanisms.

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In 1980, Pope John Paul II’s public endorsement of Poland’s Solidarity union helped catalyze the movement’s surge toward democratic and political reform. The Vatican reported that Solidarity’s membership swelled to 10 million, representing roughly 30 percent of Poland’s working-age population by 1979 and growth. Today, Pope Leo XIV’s ballot request for the November 3, 2026 midterms echoes John Paul II’s 1980 activism, and his abuse-survivor meetings recall Vatican outreach to Polish dissenters. The precedent suggests future pontiffs may increasingly engage in secular politics and victim-centered diplomacy, prompting governments and churches to reassess separation norms and accountability mechanisms.

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