--- title: "A NASA Astronaut Just Voted From Space" description: "NASA astronaut Kate Rubins just submitted her vote for the 2020 presidential elections — from the International Space Station's \"voting booth.\"" date: "2020-10-23" modified: "2020-10-23" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-astronaut-voted-from-space" categories: - "Future Society" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "elections" - "international space station" - "iss" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # A NASA Astronaut Just Voted From Space ![NASA astronaut Kate Rubins just submitted her vote for the 2020 presidential elections — from the International Space Station's "voting booth."]() *\Image: NASA\* ## Voting from Space NASA astronaut Kate Rubins just cast her vote for the 2020 presidential elections — from the International Space Station's "voting booth." Since 1997, astronauts who are in orbit have been able to register for an absentee ballot, [*Space.com* reports](). The request process is the same as for voters back on Earth, but the address is a little different: "low Earth orbit." NASA takes care of filing the ballot to the election authorities. https://twitter.com/NASA_Astronauts/status/1319375479669846017 ## Democracy in Action Rubins first arrived at the ISS on October 14 on board the [final Soyuz rocket]() to deliver NASA astronauts to the station. She will stay in orbit for just over six months and will be the only American citizen to miss Election Day this year. "I think it’s really important for everybody to vote," Rubins [told *The Associated Press*]() before launching into space in October. "If we can do it from space, then I believe folks can do it from the ground, too." ## Space Race Rubins is not the first to cast her vote from space — and in fact it's not even her first time. Several NASA astronauts, **i**ncluding Rubins herself, [also voted]() during the 2016 presidential elections. As *Space.com* points out, the launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule that [was meant to]() carry three NASA astronauts to the ISS later this month [was delayed]() to mid-November after Election Day. "It’s critical to participate in our democracy,” Rubins told *AP*. "We consider it an honor to be able to vote from space." **READ MORE:** [US astronaut votes early from space station]() \[*Space.com*\] **More on the ISS:** *[Oxygen Supply Fails on Leaking Segment of International Space Station]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()