Sunita Williams to Vote in US Presidential Elections from Space: “It’s Pretty Cool”
Sunita Williams to Vote in US Presidential Elections from Space: "It's Pretty Cool"
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), plans to cast her vote for the upcoming US Presidential elections from space. Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore are set to participate in the November 5 polls while in orbit.
In her first media appearance since returning from the Starliner mission, Williams expressed her excitement about voting from space. “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,” she said. Williams, who is currently on an extended mission, also shared her feelings of homesickness. “I miss my family and my two dogs. It’s tough for them too, but everyone understands and supports us,” she added.
LIVE: From the @Space_Station, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams discuss their ongoing mission and answer questions from the media: https://t.co/ytifGf22Gn
— NASA (@NASA) September 13, 2024
Butch Wilmore confirmed his intention to vote as well, stating, “I set down my request for a ballot today.” Williams and Wilmore launched to space aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, marking the spacecraft’s first crewed flight. However, the mission encountered technical issues, including thruster failures and helium leaks, which delayed their return.
The Starliner spacecraft, now uncrewed, landed safely in New Mexico on September 6. Despite this, Boeing’s future with NASA’s commercial crew program remains uncertain. Williams and Wilmore are expected to return to Earth on a SpaceX spacecraft in February 2025, following an extended mission of about eight months instead of the initially planned eight days.
The Texas Legislature passed a bill in 1997 allowing NASA astronauts to vote from space. David Wolf became the first astronaut to vote from space that year on the Mir Space Station. Voting from space involves a Federal Postcard Application (FPCA), with astronauts receiving and returning their encrypted electronic ballots via Mission Control.
NASA’s National Air and Space Museum outlines the process: “Before Election Day, an encrypted electronic ballot is uplinked to the astronauts. Using unique credentials sent by email, astronauts can access their ballots, cast their votes, and downlink them back to Earth to the County Clerk’s office.”
