XIV. Leo could be the first pope in the two-thousand-year history of the Catholic Church to vote in a secular election

Pope Leo XIV may become the first pope in the Catholic Church's history to vote in a secular election. He has applied for a mail-in ballot for the upcoming midterm elections under his birth name, Robert Francis Prevost. The ballot was requested to be sent to his brother's address in New Lenox, Illinois. It remains unclear if he has already cast his vote. Historically, Leo XIV has voted for Democrats in 2008 and 2010, and for Republicans in subsequent elections. Illinois allows voters to choose any party's primary ballot without registration.