US elections: Sunita Williams, fellow astronauts to cast vote in space

US elections 2024: Nasa has established a process to allow astronauts to vote while in orbit, ensuring they are not left out of this democratic exercise

As millions of Americans head to the polls for the 2024 US elections, a handful of their fellow citizens will be casting votes from an unusual location — outer space.

 

Nasa has established a process to allow astronauts to vote while in orbit, ensuring they are not left out of this democratic exercise. Currently, four American astronauts are in space, including Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore aboard the Boeing Starliner. Both had expected to return to Earth in time to vote but are now likely to stay in space until February.

 

Williams, who is of Indian origin, expressed her excitement about voting from space, noting in a September conference that it’s an important duty for all citizens. Wilmore echoed her sentiments, saying he was glad to participate, especially as Nasa has made the process straightforward for astronauts.

 

How Nasa enables voting from space

 

Nasa’s voting process for astronauts mirrors the absentee ballot system, which allows individuals unable to reach polling stations to cast their votes remotely. Astronauts start by completing a Federal Post Card Application to request an absentee ballot. They then fill out an electronic ballot, which is sent via Nasa's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System to an antenna in New Mexico.

 

From there, it reaches Nasa’s Mission Control Center at the Johnson Space Center in Texas, before being forwarded to the relevant county clerk for final processing. To maintain privacy, the ballots are encrypted, accessible only to the astronaut and the clerk.

 

The tradition of voting from space began in 1997, with David Wolf as the first astronaut to do so. Kate Rubins became the most recent astronaut to vote from space during the 2020 elections, continuing this unique exercise of democracy.