Are astronauts in orbit allowed to exercise their right of suffrage during elections? According to a report by Space.com, they are. They can still cast their votes on the ballot even if they are not on Earth.
The three Americans presently residing on the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, Josh Cassada, and Frank Rubio are all allowed to cast their votes starting Tuesday, Nov. 8.
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How Do Astronauts Vote in Space?
NASA's Kate Rubins discussed how voting off-Earth works in a video Q&A that was released in November 2020 while she was living in the orbiting lab.
Rubins completed a Federal Postcard Application (FPCA) before heading into the space station. The FPCA is used for people who are abroad during an election, such as military personnel and their families.
According to NASA, most astronauts who cast ballots while in space decide to do so as residents of Texas because they relocate there for training before their missions start.
Texas approved a law in 1997 allowing for the lawful casting of ballots from space, with astronauts using an absentee ballot system with the address "low Earth orbit," as per Space.com's report.
Casting a Ballot
Before an astronaut may cast a ballot, NASA must verify that it can be completed. The county clerk sends a test ballot to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where a computer used for space station training examines whether it can be filled out and returned to the clerk.
The actual ballot is encrypted and forwarded to the astronaut on the ISS if the ballot passes the test. For added protection, while opening the ballot, the clerk gives credentials customized to the voting team member.
The astronaut then electronically completes it and emails it back to the county clerk so that the vote can be recorded. For added security, the clerk has a password that only they can use to access the email.
Rubins built her own voting booth in the 2020 space station even though it is not a requirement for the procedure. She shut the door to her crew quarters and posted a sign that read "ISS Voting Booth."
The astronaut has already voted twice while she was in orbit. She was particularly aboard the space station during the 2016 presidential election.
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Written by Jace Dela Cruz
