Pope Leo XIV now officially has a say in who becomes the next governor of Illinois

The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pontiff in history, voted in the 2026 midterms. His Illinois ballot includes an open Senate seat held by a lawmaker he once publicly defended.

The Holy See Press Office verified the vote on Oct. 30, per Fox News. No pope before him had ever voted in an American election, but the Vatican said Pope Leo has taken part in U.S. elections “whenever he was eligible to do so,” a habit he kept while living in Peru. The former Robert Francis Prevost sees voting as an obligation that any citizen should take seriously.

Pope Leo is still registered in New Lenox, and his ballot request reached the Will County clerk’s office on Oct. 3, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Illinois dropped its excuse requirement for mail voting in 2010, so a home overseas is no barrier. “Any Illinois registered voter can vote by mail,” state elections board spokesman Matt Dietrich told the paper. He has kept close ties to home in other ways too. His older brother still calls him for computer help, reportedly treating the pope like the family’s tech support.

Pope Leo has a personal link to one race on that ballot

The ballot also lets Pope Leo pick a governor. Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat seeking a third term, faces Republican nominee Darren Bailey, with Collin Corbett running as an independent. Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat, which he has held since 1997, is also open, with Democrats backing Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Republicans backing Don Tracy, who once led the state party, per a Sun-Times guide to the race.

That Senate race might carry a personal thread. In 2025, Durbin turned down a lifetime achievement award that Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich planned to give him for his immigration work, after several bishops objected over the senator’s position on abortion. Speaking to reporters on Sept. 30, 2025, Leo said, “It’s important to look at the overall work that a senator has done,” as reported by NBC News.

Pope Leo has spoken out on American policy before. He recently called the death penalty inadmissible as the U.S. prepared to livestream a firing squad execution.

Canon 287 of the Code of Canon Law keeps clergy out of active roles in party politics unless the common good demands otherwise, but it does not bar them from voting. The Vatican has not said which candidates Pope Leo chose. He sat out the state’s March 2026 primary, making this the first election he has voted in since the conclave chose him as pope.