Elections 2022: How astronauts vote from space

Elections 2022: How astronauts vote from space

The US midterm elections took place on November 8.

Three Americans aboard the International Space Station (ISS) - Josh Cassada, Nicole Mann and Frank Rubio - also cast their vote.

In a video, NASA's Kate Rubins explained how off-Earth voting is done.

Before being launched toward the station, astronauts fill out a Federal Postcard Application (FPCA).

The FPCA is similar to the absentee ballot application many other US citizens fill out.

It is used specifically for people who are overseas during an election, such as military members and their families.

Most astronauts who vote while in space choose to vote as Texas residents because they have to move to Houston for training.

Before an astronaut is able to vote, NASA runs a test that the ballot can be filled out.

The county clerk sends a test ballot to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Then, a space station training computer tests whether someone is able to fill the ballot out and send it back to the clerk.

If the ballot passes the test, the real ballot is encrypted and sent to the astronaut on the ISS.

A voting astronaut is required to send in their vote by 7 pm Central Time on election day for the vote to count.

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