Kathleen Hallisey Rubins To Cast Her Vote From Space

NASA astronaut Kathleen Hallisey “Kate” Rubins will be casting her vote in the upcoming US elections from space. According to reports, Rubin is preparing for a mid-October launch with two other cosmonauts for a six months stay at the International Space Station.

“I think it’s really important for everybody to vote,” Rubins said. “If we can do it from space, then I believe folks can do it from the ground, too.”

Rubins lives in Houston like most of the U.S. astronauts and thus, they are allowed to take advantage of a Texas law that allows them to vote from space. The astronauts cast their votes by using a secure electronic ballot. Mission Control forwards the absentee ballot to the space station and relays the completed ballot back to the county clerk, according to The Associated Press.

“It’s critical to participate in our democracy,” Rubins said in a video call.

“We consider it an honor to be able to vote from space.”

It’s not the first time an astronaut has voted from space. In 2016, Shane Kimbrough also cast his ballot from the International Space Station.

^{Featured image: NASA}