Here’s How ISS Astronauts Will Vote in the 2024 Election

Astronauts have been voting from the International Space Station since 1997 and have cast ballots in every U.S. presidential election since 2004, except one.

Friday, November 01, 2024 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

NASA uses electronic encryption to protect astronauts’ votes as they are beamed back to mission control in Houston. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) can and regularly do vote in U.S. elections from orbit, with current residents Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams planning to vote in the upcoming November election.
This practice began in 1997 with Texas legislation, allowing astronauts like David Wolf to cast ballots electronically from space, and has been a common occurrence for ISS crews in most presidential elections since 2004.
The secure voting process involves astronauts completing an electronic absentee ballot, which NASA then encrypts and transmits via its Near Space Network and TDRSS directly to their county clerk's office, ensuring privacy and democratic participation.

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Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) orbit the Earth hundreds of miles above American soil. But that doesn’t mean they can’t vote while they float.

Indeed, Boeing Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams—who have been in the orbital laboratory since June after their test mission was extended due to safety concerns—said they intend to cast their ballots in the November U.S. presidential election from orbit. They are not the first to do so—and they probably will not be the last.

Jack Daleo

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.