US Elections 2020: How an astronaut voted from space

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins is the only American to have cast her vote from the space station in this years' presidential election. Rubins voted from the International Space Station on October 27, 2020. This was the second time Rubins voted from low-Earth orbit. She casted her first vote from space in 2016 when she was an Expedition 48-49 crew member.

As per NASA, in 1997, the Texas Legislature passed a bill that allowed NASA astronauts to vote from space. That year, NASA astronaut David Wolf became the first American to vote from space on the Mir Space Station.

In the 2016 presidential elections, astronauts Edward Michael Fincke and Greg Chamitoff, who were living and working onboard the International Space Station, voted by accessing a secure secret ballot.

According to NASA, the astronauts, living and working aboard the International space station are sent with a few absentee ballots.The form which is sent to the astronauts in space is similar to what is also given to military members and their families to fill out while serving outside of the U.S. 'By completing it ahead of their launch, space station crew members signal their intent to participate in an election from space," NASA said.

The ballot is encrypted and only accessible by the astronaut and the clerk to preserve the vote's integrity. Also,  the clerk sends credentials specific to the voting crew member to ensure  security in opening the ballot. The astronaut fills it out electronically and sends it by email back to the county clerk to record the vote.

As per NASA, most astronauts choose to vote from Texas, as they move to Houston for further training. However, in case of astronauts wishing to vote as residents of their home state, special arrangements are made in such cases.

"Several NASA astronauts have exercised this civic duty from orbit. As NASA works towards sending astronauts to the Moon in 2024 and eventually on to Mars, the agency plans to continue to ensure astronauts who want to vote from space are able to, no matter where in the solar system they may be," says NASA.