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5h ago

Three U.S. Astronauts Cast Absentee Midterm Ballots From the ISS

Encrypted electronic ballots were routed through NASA’s satellite networks to county clerks to protect privacy and ensure astronauts can vote while serving in orbit.

NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli (from left) give a thumbs up after voting as Texas residents from the International Space Station in 2024.
Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev (L), NASA astronauts Jack Hathaway and Jessica Meir, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot are seen inside the SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON shortly after having landed on October 8, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles, California. Meir, Hathaway, Adenot, and Fedyaev are returning after seven months in space as part of Expedition 74 aboard the International Space Station.
A still image taken from a video released November 3, 2026, shows astronaut Anil Menon pointing to an "I voted" sticker on his clothes after voting in the US midterm elections from the International Space Station (ISS). NASA/Anil Menon/Handout via REUTERS
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Overview

  • On Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, astronauts Anil Menon, Luke Delaney and Jessica Watkins filled out electronic absentee ballots aboard the International Space Station and transmitted them to election officials on Earth.
  • Astronauts use the same Federal Post Card Application process as other Americans away from home to request absentee ballots before completing the electronic forms on the station.
  • Completed ballots travel through NASA systems such as the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System and the Near Space Network to a ground antenna, then to mission control and finally to the county clerk responsible for the voter.
  • NASA and county procedures encrypt the transmissions so only the astronaut and the receiving clerk can access the ballot, and there were no public reports of transmission problems for the Nov. 3 vote.
  • The practice traces to a 1997 Texas law and past in-orbit votes such as David Wolf’s, and the November transmissions underscore how routine communications between the ISS and ground officials preserve voting rights for crew members and link space missions to local election processes.