Two American astronauts currently stationed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have announced their plans to participate in the upcoming November election from orbit. The astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, are set to cast their votes despite being stranded in space through February due to technical issues with their spacecraft.
Ballots in Orbit: Wilmore and Williams Weigh In
“I sent down my request for a ballot today,” Wilmore shared during a call with reporters on Friday afternoon. “It’s a very important role that we play as citizens, including those elections, and NASA makes it very easy for us to do that.” His colleague, Sunita Williams, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the uniqueness of their situation. “It’s a very important duty that we have as citizens and looking forward to being able to vote from space, which is pretty cool,” she added.
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NASA and Harris County Collaborate for Space Voting
Election officials in Harris County, Texas, where NASA’s Johnson Space Center is located, are integral to facilitating space voting. They provide astronauts with a secure PDF ballot that features clickable options for their choices. The ballot is password-protected to maintain confidentiality. “Before sending the astronauts their ballot, it is transferred to a fillable document so that they can make their selections, save it, and send it back. A test ballot with a unique password is always sent first. Once they vote on their live ballot, it is returned, printed, and processed with other ballots,” explained Rosio Torres-Segura, a spokesperson for the county clerk.
Historic Space Voting: A Legacy of Electoral Participation
Voting from space is not a new phenomenon. Since 1997, when Texas legislation allowed astronauts to vote from orbit, space voting has become an established practice. David Wolf was the first American astronaut to vote from space aboard the Mir Space Station in 1997, and NASA astronaut Kate Rubins cast her vote from the ISS during the 2020 election.
Extended Mission: Wilmore and Williams’ Space Odyssey
Wilmore and Williams, initially on a mission expected to last about eight days, have been in space since early June due to complications with their spacecraft. They are scheduled to return to Earth aboard a SpaceX capsule, rather than the Boeing Starliner they originally used.
Conclusion: Voting Beyond Earth
As the November elections approach, Wilmore and Williams’ commitment to fulfilling their civic duties from space underscores the dedication of astronauts to their responsibilities, no matter where they are in the universe.
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