US Midterm Elections 2026: How are astronauts voting from space? Anil Menon shows how crew cast ballots in ISS

NASA astronaut Anil Menon has shown how Americans can cast their votes even when they are more than 400 kilometres above Earth. Menon and two fellow astronauts, Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, voted in the US midterm elections on November 3 from aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Their ballots were completed electronically and sent securely to election officials on Earth. In a video shared on X, Menon offered a glimpse of his unusual polling booth. It was his sleeping compartment aboard the orbital laboratory. He used a computer inside the small room to complete his electronic ballot and submit it to Harris County, Texas. Anil Menon votes for US mid-term elections 2026! Astronaut Anil Menon demonstrated the process while showing his onboard computer and the space inside his sleeping quarters. He also displayed an 'I Voted' sticker after completing the process. The NASA astronaut explained that all three American crew members aboard the station had the opportunity to participate. Their votes were transmitted securely to election officials despite their distance from Earth. Yes, you can even vote from space! All three US crew members had the privilege of voting from space station. We filled out an electronic ballot and sent it securely to the election officials. https://t.co/hJCExQ2nKr -- Anil Menon (@astro_anil) November 3, 2026   How does the ISS voting system work? Voting from orbit is possible through NASA's space communication network. Astronauts first request an absentee ballot by submitting a Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), similar to other American citizens living away from their home constituencies. Once they receive their electronic ballots, they complete them using computers aboard the ISS. The documents then travel through NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System to a ground antenna at the White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. NASA transfers the ballots to its Johnson Space Centre in Houston. They are then forwarded to the relevant county clerk for processing. These votes from space are protected! Security is an important part of the process. NASA encrypts the electronic ballots during transmission. Only the astronaut and the authorised election official can access them, helping protect the privacy and integrity of each vote. Who was the first astronaut to vote from space? Voting from space is not new. The practice dates back to 1997, when Texas passed legislation allowing NASA astronauts to participate in elections while on missions. That year, NASA astronaut David Wolf became the first American to cast a ballot from orbit. He voted aboard Russia's Mir space station. Anil Menon's demonstration shows how astronauts can remain connected to civic life even while working hundreds of kilometres above their home planet.