Astronauts to Vote from Space

Talk about absentee voting! US citizens Michael Fincke and Greg Chamitoff are 220 miles above the earth in the International Space Station. But thanks to a bill passed in Texas in 1997, they will be able to vote by secret ballot on election day.

A secure electronic ballot, generated by the Harris and Brazoria County Clerk's office, is uplinked by NASA's Johnson Space Center Mission Control Center. An e-mail with crew member-specific credentials is sent from the County Clerk to the crew member. These credentials allow the crew member to access the secure ballot.

The astronauts will cast their votes and a secure completed ballot is downlinked and delivered back to the County Clerk’s Office by e-mail to be officially recorded.

Almost all NASA astronauts live in Houston. Link -Thanks, Jerse!

I wonder why they offer voting by e-mail for only select absentee ballots. That seems patently unfair to people who are living farther away (ISS being only 220 miles from the surface of the earth and orbiting 15+ times per day). Voting by e-mail clearly isn't rocket science, so it shouldn't only be reserved for astronauts.