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Three NASA astronauts cast their ballots in the U.S. congressional midterm elections from the International Space Station (ISS), and footage of the vote drew attention on social media as voting continued across the United States.
NASA astronaut Anil Menon used his crew sleeping compartment on the ISS as a voting booth. In a video he shared on social media, Menon said he filled out an electronic ballot on his computer and sent it to Harris County in Texas. His crewmates Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney voted later.
Harris County, which includes the city of Houston, is home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Mission Control Center.
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American astronauts have voted from space since 1997. That year, Texas passed a law allowing astronauts registered to vote in the state to cast ballots while in orbit. NASA astronaut David Wolf became the first American to vote from space that year, from the Russian space station Mir.
Astronauts complete electronic absentee ballots, which NASA communications systems transmit to the county clerk where they are registered. They must state their intention to vote from space before launch.
Sleeping quarters have served as makeshift voting booths in earlier elections. NASA astronaut Josh Cassada did so aboard the ISS during the 2022 midterms.
The U.S. midterm elections were held Tuesday, Nov. 3, and decided Congress's makeup. Democrats regained the Senate majority with 51 seats, according to preliminary results from The Associated Press (AP). They flipped six Republican-held seats in North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Kansas and Iowa.
In the House of Representatives, CNN and CNBC projected that Democrats will retake control. The AP had called 173 races for Democrats and 106 for Republicans, with Democrats flipping nine Republican-held seats. A party needs 218 seats for a majority, and many races were still awaiting final results.
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