Pope Leo requested an absentee ballot in Illinois to vote in the midterms

Pope Leo XIV, a registered voter in Illinois, is poised to vote in next week’s midterm elections after he requested a mail ballot at his residence in Vatican City.

Leo, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost, requested the ballot Oct. 3, the Will County Clerk’s Office chief of staff, Kim Fladhammer, confirmed to NBC News on Thursday.

The Chicago Sun-Times first reported the ballot request.

The clerk’s office told NBC News it has not yet received a completed ballot from the pope, who had lung cancer surgery this month. It is unclear whether he has filled out or mailed his ballot yet. If he does, it would be sent to Joliet, Illinois.

And by virtue of becoming the first American pope in May 2025, Leo would be the first pope to vote in a U.S. election.

Since he became pope, Leo has been an outspoken critic of certain Trump policies, including the U.S. war against Iran and the administration’s treatment of immigrants.

Leo and President Donald Trump got into a back-and-forth in April after Leo called for peace in the war that began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28. Trump responded on social media by calling the pope “WEAK on crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy” while taking credit for his papacy.

“I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo,” Trump said at the time.

Leo responded to the remarks, telling NBC News that he had “no fear of the Trump administration” and vowing to keep advocating for peace.

Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, has also hurled criticism in Leo’s direction. Vance said he should “be careful” when he talks about theology, scolding him for his criticisms of U.S. foreign policy.

Public records show that Leo has voted in previous elections, casting ballots in the 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2024 general elections. He also voted in Republican primaries in 2012, 2014 and 2016. Voters in Illinois do not register by party, and they can select which party’s primary they want to vote in each election cycle.

Leo’s ballot this year includes a series of solidly blue races. His congressman is Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., the son of the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the brother of former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., who is seeking re-election.

Senate Democratic nominee Juliana Stratton, the state’s lieutenant governor, is seeking to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin.

Gov. JB Pritzker, meanwhile, is running for re-election, aspiring to become the first Democrat in the state elected to a third term as governor.