For a select group of Americans, casting a ballot in the U.S. midterm elections involves a journey far beyond their local polling station. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) can vote remotely, utilizing a process that has been in place for decades.
Anil Menon, an American astronaut currently on the ISS, shared his experience voting from orbit, describing his living quarters as a functional voting booth. Using a computer, he was able to fill out an electronic form and send it to Harris County, Texas, which is home to NASA's Johnson Space Center. Fellow U.S. crewmembers Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney also cast their votes from the station.
Astronauts follow a procedure similar to other Americans who will be away from home during an election. They fill out a Federal Post Card Application to request an absentee ballot. Once the electronic ballot is completed aboard the ISS, it is transmitted through NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System to a ground antenna. From there, the votes are sent to Mission Control Center in Houston and then forwarded to the appropriate county clerk.
To ensure voter privacy, the ballot is encrypted and accessible only to the astronaut and the county clerk. This system has allowed American astronauts to participate in elections since 1997, following a Texas legislative bill passed that year enabling orbital voting.