Greetings everyone! Are you curious about how to vote from outer space? Voting is a meaningful responsibility that every citizen should practice; even astronauts far from the planet can vote.
Thanks to technology, it is indeed possible to vote while in space, thus allowing astronauts to take part in any election that happens while they are above the Earth. This article will explain to you the simple process of voting from space, encouraging you to make still your voice heard no matter where you are in the universe.
Let us start!
Worst Case Ensure You Are Allowed To Vote From The Space
However, before any astronaut cast their vote from space, they must first ascertain their qualifications to vote in their states. When United States citizens who are also astronauts vote, it is most often from Texas, which is home to or where these citizens maintain their bases in Houston, Johnson Space Center. There is a specific procedure in Texas for allowing astronauts in the state to vote from space by using a secure system to send ballots electronically.
Election Officials
When planning for a space trip, remember to start talking to local election officials as soon as news of the mission comes in. They will advise you on all the processes and documents that must be completed before you leave.
Fill Out the Application for Federal Post Card (FPCA)
Another responsibility of this law is for astronauts to fill out the Federal Post Card Application or FPCA, similar to military personnel and other citizens living abroad. There is a process of notifying the local election officials about the space voting by the astronaut. The FPCA serves as an application for a safe remote ballot. It is very important to make this application correctly and do it with enough time before the trip to space.
By the FPCA, the astronaut will also state his residency for the election official to arrange the proper paperwork and ballots for a safe
Secure The Electronic Ballot
After the FPCA has been completed and approved, the local election office will email a ballot to NASA’s Johnson Space Center. From there, NASA coordinates with the communication systems of the space station to ensure that the ballot gets to the astronaut without any hitches. It incorporates a step where the ballot is sent out in an electronically secure manner.
The electronic ballot is a PDF form designed to work efficiently with the restrained internet services offered on board the International Space Station (ISS). This system further reduces the possibility of any computer or network breaking in and manipulating the astronaut’s vote.
Voting Platform in Space
Election Day will also find the astronaut receiving an electronic ballot through a secure email link. The Johnson Space Center’s mission control sends that email straight to the ISS. Astronauts can then open that ballot, complete their selections, and send it electronically.
Voting in Space follows almost the same procedure as voting on Earth, save that everything occurs via the internet from high above on Earth. The astronaut ensures that their ballot is completed on time and, most importantly, sent back to Earth securely before the cut-off time for voting.
Verify That Your Vote was Counted
After the vote is transmitted backward to Earth and sent back to the local election office, coordination between NASA and the election office ensures the vote has been cast and counted. The astronauts also get something saying that their ballot has been cast and counted, so they know they have been allowed to speak.
Conclusion
Don’t you think that it’s incredible for even astronauts to be able to vote? Thanks to modern technology, they do not have to leave their home country regardless of the length of their stay on official duty. And speaking of distance voting, do you now understand why it’s paramount to raise one’s voice and vote from every corner of the globe?
