Pope Leo Requests Absentee Mail-In Ballot in Illinois to Vote in the Midterms, per NBC
One of the most unusual ballots in next week's midterm elections may be cast from Vatican City.
Pope Leo has requested an absentee, mail-in ballot in Illinois to vote in the midterms, per NBC News.
Pope Leo XIV, a registered voter in Illinois, requested the mail ballot for his residence in Vatican City, and if he returns it, he will become the first pope to vote in a US election.
Registered in Will County
Leo, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost, requested the ballot on October 3, Kim Fladhammer, chief of staff at the Will County Clerk's Office, confirmed to NBC News on Thursday.
The Chicago-born pope remains registered in Will County, in the Chicago suburbs, under his birth name. 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. If he fills one out and mails it, the ballot will be sent to Joliet, Illinois.
His ballot covers a series of solidly blue races, including his congressman, Rep. Jonathan Jackson, who is seeking re-election.
A First in Church History
Leo became the first American pope in May 2025, and no pontiff before him has ever cast a ballot in any nation's civil elections.
Federal law protecting Americans living overseas would likely preserve his right to vote in federal races even from Vatican City, per Illinois election officials.
The 71-year-old pontiff is a Chicago native who last lived in the United States before moving to Peru in 2015, and he has remained an active Illinois voter from abroad.
A Record Across Party Lines
Will County records show a voter who has crossed party lines over the years.
Prevost took Democratic ballots in the 2008 and 2010 primaries, then Republican ballots in 2012, 2014, and 2016, and he cast general-election ballots in 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2024.
He also mailed in a ballot for the November 2024 presidential race, per the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Illinois has no party registration, so any voter can choose either party's primary ballot.
What It Means for Markets
The pope's ballot is one vote in a safe Democratic district, but it is also a headline that underlines how much attention Tuesday's November 3 midterms are drawing, with control of Congress on the line.
Election-week uncertainty is a classic setup for hedged positioning and choppy index flow into the results. Watch broad exposure through SPY and QQQ as results come in Tuesday night, with traders likely to stay defensive until the balance of power in the House and Senate is clear.
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