Florida: NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is set to cast her vote in the upcoming US presidential election on November 5, 2024. The Indian origin astronaut, along with fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, will remain on the ISS until February next year, but both will still participate in the election despite being stranded in space after Boeing’s solo return.
Williams stressed on the importance of voting during a call on September 12, 2024, and said “It’s a very important duty that we have as citizens, and I’m looking forward to being able to vote from space, which is pretty cool.”
How Sunita Williams Will Cast Her Vote
To vote from space, Williams will follow a specific procedure designed for US citizens living abroad, with some modifications for her location. First, she will submit a Federal Post Card Application to request an absentee ballot. Once she receives the ballot, Williams will fill it out electronically using the ISS computer system. NASA’s sophisticated Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) program will facilitate the transmission of her vote.
Williams’ encrypted ballot will travel via NASA’s Near Space Network, utilising the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. It will be transmitted to a ground antenna at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico before being securely transferred to the Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center in Houston. From there, the encrypted ballot will be forwarded to the appropriate county clerk for processing. Only Williams and the county clerk will have access to the ballot, ensuring the integrity of her vote.
NASA has ensured that astronauts like Williams remain connected to Earth and can fulfill their civic duties even while in space.
Voting from Space Since 1997
The process of voting from space has been in place since 1997, when the Texas Legislature passed a bill allowing NASA astronauts to cast ballots from orbit. The first American astronaut to vote from space was David Wolf, who voted while aboard the Russian Mir Space Station. More recently, Kate Rubins cast her vote from the ISS during the 2020 US presidential election.
NASA astronauts have used electronic ballots, which are sent to the ISS and then transmitted back to Earth for processing. This secure system highlights NASA’s commitment to enabling long-distance democracy and ensuring astronauts’ participation in civic responsibilities, even while they are on extended missions in space.
Sunita Williams to Vote in Upcoming US Presidential Election from Space, Here’s How world-news World News | Latest International News | Global World News | World News Today
