Voting in space
Many people have cast votes during spaceflight. Voting from space has some inherent difficulties, as delivering paper ballots to and from a space station—as one would do for a soldier stationed overseas—would be cost prohibitive. Some astronauts vote electronically, while others communicate their voting intentions to a proxy.
United States
Since 2004, astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) have voted in all but one presidential election.[9] In order to vote while on board, astronauts must fill out the Federal Post Card Application prior to departure, the same application used by military members stationed overseas. During the election, Johnson Space Center transmits a secure electronic ballot, and the astronauts are emailed credentials by their local county clerk. The ballot is then filled out, downlinked to Earth, and e-mailed to the relevant county clerk.[10] American astronaut Kathleen Rubins voted on the ISS on two occasions, in 2016 and 2020.[2]
While most astronauts live in, and are registered to vote in, Texas, some are registered elsewhere in the country. Andrew R. Morgan, for instance, was registered to vote in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania; that county's Department of Voter Services collaborated with NASA to allow Morgan to vote in the 2019 local elections.[11]
USSR and Russia
In 1971, the crew of the
In Russia, cosmonauts generally vote by proxy; for example, in the
During the
References
- ^ Kramar, Miriam (1 November 2016). "This is how the lone American in space is voting in the presidential election". Mashable. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ a b Gerken, Marika; Alonso, Melissa; Andrew, Scottie (25 October 2020). "This American astronaut voted from space. Here's how she did it". CNN. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ "In Space and Out of Luck". The New York Times. 25 October 1996. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Schwartz, Matthew S. (26 September 2020). "NASA Astronaut Will Vote From Space". NPR. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ "Democracy in Orbit: Chiao to Vote in Space". NASA. 21 October 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ "Astronauts To Vote From Space". NASA. 27 October 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Astronauts to Vote in Space". NASA. 29 September 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Wall, Mike (5 November 2012). "Extreme Voting: How Astronauts Cast Ballots from Space". Scientific American. Space.com. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ This includes 2004,[5] 2008,[6] 2016,[7] and 2020.[7] Two Americans—Sunita Williams and Kevin A. Ford—were on board the ISS during the 2012 election, but both had submitted absentee ballots prior to their spaceflight.[8]
- ^ "Astronauts to Vote in Space". NASA. 9 September 2020. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ Addleman, Brent (5 November 2012). "Ballot from space: Astronaut Drew Morgan votes from International Space Station". New Castle News. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ "Soviet Trio Cast Votes From Space". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Associated Press. 14 June 1971. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- The Miami Herald. United Press International. 14 June 1971. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ "Russia polls: Cosmonauts vote from space". NDTV. 4 December 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ "Russian Cosmonaut Votes on Putin's Reforms From ISS". The Moscow Times. Agence France-Presse. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2021.