US astronaut will vote from orbit if homecoming is delayed

[The Sushi Bandit]

Source: AP & Phys.Org

The lone American in orbit will end up voting for president from the International Space Station, if her homecoming is delayed.

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins said Thursday that she doesn't know yet whether she'll return to Earth in late October as planned. The Russians have delayed the next crew launch for technical reasons. It was supposed to take place Friday, but it's off for at least a month.
Rubins and her two crewmates—a Russian and Japanese—can't come home until the next three-person crew arrives. NASA likes to have an overlap of several days, if not more.

Rubins told The Associated Press she got an absentee ballot before she rocketed away in July, just in case. When she's not in space, home is Houston, Texas, but in this case, the absentee ballot lists her address as "low-Earth orbit."

"It's very incredible that we're able to vote from up here," she said, "and I think it's incredibly important for us to vote in all of the elections."


Read more: http://phys.org/news/2016-09-astronaut-vote-orbit-homecoming.html

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Hopefully she does not reside in a state with restrictive voting laws!

[bigworld]

1. I'm interested in the logistics of this

She HAS an absentee ballot, but how will she mail the absentee ballot back home?

[haele]

2. PDF to someone with a printer, then they send it on?

I've seen official documents handled that way. I suppose it also depends on whether or not she "votes the right way" depending on the people who decide the legitimacy of absentee ballots.

Haele

[rurallib]

8. The USPS is great about going where no one else can

Those union carriers are truly committed.

[irisblue]

12. hellofa value for 47cents. USPS does the job

[jtuck004]

3. Does she have her ID? n/t

[Midnight Writer]

4. Is Trump sending a poll watcher up there?

[The Sushi Bandit]

17. The Russians are already there!

[brooklynite]

5. Who's going to check his ID?

You can't be too careful with illegal aliens voting these days...

[GentryDixon]

6. This is so cool.

I watched the space station go overhead yesterday morning. I follow their journey throughout the day. They are currently off the east coast of South America headed to the continent of Africa.

http://iss.astroviewer.net/

[DFW]

7. What if she's from North Carolina?

If she's a registered Democrat, they'll require her to present two forms of photo ID, and if she can't provide them in person on election day, well, sorry, ma'am, but you might be an A-rab and you cain't vote heyah.

[LisaL]

9. The article says she is from Houston, TX.

I am not sure what the legal status on the ID is in TX. It went to court recently but I don't know what the final decision is.

[DFW]

13. Even I don't know

I'm always overseas in November, so I vote absentee. I have to say, the Dallas voting registrar has been very good about getting my absentee ballots to me in a timely basis.

[thesquanderer]

10. I don't see how she can cast a "secret" ballot from space...

...it seems that someone on earth is definitely going to know who she voted for!

[irisblue]

11. rocket it on sister!

"low Earth orbit"

[The Sushi Bandit]

16. I like that too!!

[awoke_in_2003]

14. So, we can make it easy for

someone in low earth orbit to vote, but if you're African American? What a country.

[onehandle]

15. First Russians were messing with our elections. Now people from space are! nt