NASA astronaut, and Harris County resident, Butch Wilmore said he still plans to vote in the upcoming November election even though he and a colleague have ended up having an unexpectedly long stay at the International Space Station (ISS).
In June, astronauts Wilmore and Suni Williams left Earth on the new Boeing Starliner for what was supposed to be a short week-long trip to the ISS. However, after docking in space, NASA discovered errors in the new spaceship. As a result, NASA decided not to have the astronauts return via the Boeing Starliner; instead, it plans to have them return early next year in February on a SpaceX Dragon craft.
Last week, the two astronauts held a press conference from the ISS, at which Wilmore said he had already requested his ballot from Harris County so that he could still vote in the presidential election.
"I sent down my request for a ballot today, and they should get it to us in a couple of days," he said. "It's a very important role we play as citizens to be included in those elections and NASA makes it very easy for us to do that."
Turns out, Texans have been allowed to vote from space for nearly three decades. In 1997, the state legislature passed a bill to include citizens "who will be on a space flight during early voting and on Election Day."
Director of Communication for the Harris County Clerk's Office, Irene Nuñez, told Houston Public Media that the process of voting in space begins like the normal absentee voting process.
"Voting from space starts with a Federal Postcard Application (FPCA)," she said in a statement. "This is the same form military members and their families fill out while serving outside the United States."
The Harris County Clerk's Office Election Department then works directly with NASA representatives to securely send the ballots to the ISS, Nuñez said.
"Like other FPCA applicants, they must complete an FPCA application and submit it by the deadline," she said. "Before sending the astronauts their ballot, a test ballot with a unique password is sent first. Crew member-specific credentials allow the astronauts access to a secure ballot."
Following a successful test, Nuñez said the real ballot is sent and the astronauts follow the same steps.
"The astronauts can make their selections, save them and send them back," she said. "Once the astronauts vote their live ballot, it is returned, printed and processed with other ballots."
Harris County residents who don't happen to be orbiting the Earth at 17,500 MPH still have time to register to vote for the November election.
Texans have until Oct. 7 to vote in the Nov. 5 election. Early voting will begin on Oct. 21 and end on Nov. 1. Applications for a ballot by mail must be received by Oct. 25 and returned with a postmark no later than Nov. 5. The FPCA ballots will be sent out this Saturday.
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