Pope Leo XIV mailed a ballot from Chicago, Illinois, for the November 3, 2026 U.S. midterm elections.
His vote is framed as a call for civic participation and a platform to champion immigrant rights and oppose war.
He has denounced President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and U.S.–Israel war on Iran as inhuman.
The ballot request was made on Oct. 3, days before surgery to remove a lung tumor.
Center
Papal Voting History
Pope Leo XIV requested a mail-in ballot in Illinois for the November 3, 2026 U.S. midterm elections.
The Vatican confirmed the request and noted the pope’s long-standing habit of civic participation, citing his belief in citizens’ democratic duty.
Illinois records list five primary votes by the pope since 2000.
He did not cast a ballot in the 2020 or 2022 general elections.
Right
Brother's Address Registration
Pope Leo XIV requested a mail-in ballot in Illinois for the November 3, 2026 U.S. midterm elections.
He stressed voting as a personal civic duty and rejected any connection to President Donald Trump’s voter-fraud bounty.
Registration lists him at brother John’s New Lenox address under the name Robert Francis Prevost.
Ten days before a ninety-minute surgery to remove a right-lung tumor, he requested the ballot.
Blindspot
Pope Leo XIV publicly criticized President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and the U.S.–Israel war on Iran, calling the policies “inhuman,” according to statements reported by the left-leaning sources.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Left-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Center-leaning and Right-leaning coverage.
History
During his October 1979 visit, Pope John Paul II became the first pope to meet a U.S. president, shaking hands with Jimmy Carter at the White House. He later drew 80,000 worshippers at Wembley Stadium in 1982. His June 1979 trip to Poland sparked Solidarity, showing how papal diplomacy began shaping Cold-War politics and set a precedent for later civic interventions.
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Vote Before Surgery
Pope Leo XIV mailed a ballot from Chicago, Illinois, for the November 3, 2026 U.S. midterm elections.
His vote is framed as a call for civic participation and a platform to champion immigrant rights and oppose war.
He has denounced President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and U.S.–Israel war on Iran as inhuman.
The ballot request was made on Oct. 3, days before surgery to remove a lung tumor.
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Pope Leo XIV Requests Illinois Mail-In Ballot for 2026 Midterms | Drooid
