NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is gearing up to exercise her democratic right in the upcoming U.S. Presidential election, despite being approximately 400 miles above Earth.
Williams will join a distinguished group of space voters, including David Wolf, the first person to vote from space, and Kate Rubins, who cast her ballot from the ISS in 2020.
Since 1997, astronauts have had the opportunity to vote from space after the Texas Legislature passed a bill allowing NASA astronauts to cast their ballots while in orbit. Williams will follow a procedure similar to that of U.S. citizens voting from overseas, with some unique adaptations for her extraordinary circumstances.
To begin, Williams will complete a Federal Post Card Application to request an absentee ballot. She will then fill out the electronic ballot using the ISS computer system. This process relies on NASA’s advanced Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) Program.
Once she completes her ballot, it will be transmitted through NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System to a ground antenna at the agency’s White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
From there, the ballot will be securely sent to the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and then forwarded to the appropriate county clerk for processing.
To ensure the integrity of her vote, the ballot will be encrypted, making it accessible only to Williams and the clerk responsible for handling it. This innovative voting method highlights NASA’s commitment to keeping astronauts connected to Earth and engaged in civic duties, showcasing the agency’s expertise in advanced communication technology that enables remote participation in democracy.
