Three US astronauts voted in the midterm elections from the International Space Station, with Anil Menon sharing a video of the process on social media. Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney also cast ballots while aboard the station.
Menon used the sleeping compartment in his quarters as an improvised voting booth. He said the crew completed electronic ballots and securely sent them to election officials. His ballot went to Harris County, Texas, which includes Houston and NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
US astronauts have been able to vote from space since Texas passed a law permitting the practice in 1997 for astronauts registered in the state. David Wolf was the first to do so, voting that year from the Russian space station Mir.
The process follows the general approach used for absentee voting: astronauts complete their ballots electronically in orbit, then transmit them through NASA communications systems to election officials in their registered county. Josh Cassada also voted from the ISS during the 2022 midterm elections.
Sources: Pplware.