US astronauts cast midterm election ballots from space

As millions of Americans headed to the polls for the US midterm elections, three astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) also voted, casting their ballots hundreds of miles above Earth.

NASA astronaut Anil Menon shared the experience in a video on US social media company X, saying he and his fellow American crewmembers had the opportunity to vote from orbit, just like voters on the ground.

“Yes, you can even vote from space,” said Menon, showing the small area inside his International Space Station quarters that served as his voting booth.

“All three US crew members had the privilege of voting from space station. We filled out an electronic ballot and sent it securely to the election officials,” he added.

Menon, along with astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, filled out electronic ballots and securely sent them to election officials in the US.

The voting process relies on NASA's communications network. Ballots are transmitted from the space station to ground facilities before being forwarded to relevant county election offices. Encryption ensures that only the astronaut and authorized election officials can access the completed ballot.

US astronauts have been able to vote from space since 1997, when Texas passed legislation allowing NASA crew members to cast ballots while in orbit. David Wolf became the first American astronaut to vote aboard Russia's Mir space station.