How are NASA astronauts voting from space on US election day?

Voting from space: How does it work?

Voting from abstraction mightiness dependable tricky, but NASA has a streamlined process successful place. Here’s however it happens:

1. Requesting the Ballot: Just similar immoderate absentee elector connected Earth, the astronauts petition a ballot.
2. Receiving the Ballot: NASA sends them an encrypted, password-protected ballot via email.
3. Filling It Out: The astronauts ballot close connected their computers.
4. Sending It Back: Once completed, the ballot is securely beamed backmost to NASA’s White Sands Test Facility successful New Mexico, wherever it’s forwarded to their section predetermination bureau successful Harris County, Texas.

NASA started this “voting from space” strategy backmost successful 1997, erstwhile Texas passed a instrumentality allowing astronauts to ballot from orbit. Since then, abstraction voting has go a cherished NASA tradition. Many astronauts, including Kate Rubins, who voted successful the 2016 and 2020 elections from space, person taken part.

A arrogant voting tradition

Voting from abstraction isn’t conscionable astir the astronauts—it’s a reminder that everyone’s ballot matters, nary substance wherever they are. Wilmore and Williams primitively planned to beryllium backmost by now, but owed to their extended mission, they’ll beryllium staying successful orbit until February 2025.

While they mightiness miss the “I Voted” sticker, their votes volition inactive number successful this election, conscionable similar everyone else’s!

(With inputs from CNN)