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Astronaut Casts US Presidential Election Vote From Space

Astronaut Casts US Presidential Election Vote From Space

She reckons if she can do it from 253 miles above Earth, then people should be able to do it at ground level

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

An astronaut has cast her vote in the US Presidential election from space.

The NASA Astronauts Twitter page shared a photo of Kate Rubins next to the 'International Space Station (ISS) Voting Booth', along with the caption: "From the International Space Station: I voted today."


Rubins launched into space on 14 October with two Russian cosmonauts, where she will remain well beyond the election on 3 November.

Speaking prior to launching, she told the Associated Press: "I think it's really important for everybody to vote.

"If we can do it from space, then I believe folks can do it from the ground, too.

"It's critical to participate in our democracy. We consider it an honour to be able to vote from space."

Rubins said it was an 'honour' to vote from space.
NASA

Her vote was cast through a form of absentee ballot procedure.

Most US astronauts live in Houston, Texas, and laws there allow them to fill out their ballot with the address 'low Earth orbit'.

The ballot is generated by a clerk's office in Harris County, home of NASA's Johnson Space Center, and sent via email to the ISS. From there, it is downloaded, filled out, and emailed back to the clerk's office.

Congress passed legislation in 1997 permitting voting from space, with Rubins also casting her vote in the 2016 election from the ISS.

Yesterday (Saturday), Donald Trump cast his vote in Florida.

Speaking to reporters, he said: "It was a very secure vote, much more secure than when you send in a ballot, I can tell you that."

Asked who he had voted for, he replied: "I voted for a guy named Trump."

Meanwhile, Jennifer Aniston shared a photograph of her casting her vote for Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden.


Explaining why she was voting for Biden, she said: "Right now, a few men in power are deciding what women can and can't do with their own bodies.

"Our current President has decided that racism is a non-issue. He has repeatedly and publicly ignored science... too many people have died.⠀

"I urge you to really consider who is going to be most affected by this election if we stay on the track we're on right now... your daughters, the LGBTQ+ community, our Black brothers and sisters, the elderly with health conditions, and your future kids and grandkids (who will be tasked with saving a planet that our leadership refuses to believe is hurting)."

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/NASA Astronauts

Topics: US News, Nasa, space, Politics