Democracy in Orbit

Of the millions of American citizens eligible to vote this Election Day (Nov. 2), there’s only one who won’t be on the planet. But Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao isn’t letting that little detail keep him from casting his ballot.

Image left: Chiao gives a “thumbs up” on the way to the launch pad in Kazakhstan on October 13. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls.

Even though he’ll be floating around the Earth 230 miles up on the International Space Station, Chiao is not too far from the polls to stand up and be counted, thanks to a bill passed in 1997 by Texas legislators.

The bill sets up a technical procedure for astronauts — nearly all of whom live in Houston — to vote from space. (And here’s a bonus bit of presidential trivia: The bill was signed by the then-governor of Texas, George W. Bush.)

Here’s how it will work. An electronic ballot, generated by the Galveston County Clerk’s office, will be emailed to Chaio’s secure account at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Mission Control Center there will transfer the email to the Station using a high-speed modem via satellite, the same way they send all astronauts e-mails to the Station.

Then, Chiao will cast his vote and use a secure e-mail connection to send his ballot back to the clerk’s office to be recorded. It will be the first vote ever to be cast in a presidential election from space. But Chiao’s democracy in orbit doesn’t end there.

He’s using his unique experience to encourage others to exercise their civic duty. He’s sent a special message from space to all eligible voters urging them to go to the polls.

PS: If US can ensure voting rights for its citizens in space, can we not Indians settled outside the geographical borders of India have the ability to vote?

Source: http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/livinginspace/chiao_votes.html