Pope Leo XIV is poised to make history by becoming the first pontiff to vote in a secular election after requesting a mail-in ballot for next week's US midterm elections, international media report.
The first American pope, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost, remains registered to vote in Illinois and requested a ballot on October 3 from the Will County Clerk's Office, its chief of staff, Kim Fladhammer, confirmed to NBC News.
The request was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
The clerk's office said it had not yet received a completed ballot from the Pope, who underwent lung cancer surgery this month. It remains unclear whether he has filled in or mailed his ballot. If he does, it will be sent to Joliet, Illinois.
Leo's participation would mark an unprecedented moment in the history of the papacy, with no previous pope known to have voted in a national secular election.
Since his election in May 2025, Leo has occasionally found himself at odds with US President Donald Trump, particularly over the administration's foreign policy and treatment of immigrants.
The Pope has been an outspoken critic of certain Trump policies, including the US war against Iran and the administration's approach to immigration.
The disagreement between the two came into the open in April, when Leo called for peace in the conflict that began with US-Israeli strikes on February 28. Trump responded on social media by describing the pontiff as "WEAK on crime" and "terrible for Foreign Policy", while also taking credit for his election as Pope.
"I'm not a big fan of Pope Leo," Trump subsequently said.
Leo, however, made clear that the criticism would not deter him, telling NBC News that he had "no fear of the Trump administration" and would continue advocating for peace.
Public records indicate that Leo has a history of participating in US elections. He cast ballots in the 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2024 general elections, as well as in Republican primaries in 2012, 2014 and 2016.
Illinois does not require voters to register with a political party. Instead, voters can choose which party's primary they wish to participate in during each election cycle.
The Pope's voting record therefore also shows that he has previously taken part in Republican primary contests, although it does not establish his political affiliation.
If he submits his ballot, Leo will add another unusual chapter to the history of the papacy, exercising a voting right he retained despite assuming one of the world's most prominent religious offices.