'Yes You Can Vote From Space': NASA's Anil Menon Shows How Crew Cast Midterm Ballots Aboard ISS

NASA astronaut Anil Menon has offered a glimpse of how astronauts exercise their democratic right from hundreds of kilometres above Earth, sharing a video of himself casting his ballot in the 2026 US midterm elections from the International Space Station (ISS).

Menon was among three American astronauts aboard the orbital laboratory who voted in the November 3 elections. His crewmates, Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, also submitted their ballots electronically.

“Yes, you can even vote from space! All three US crew members had the privilege of voting from space station. We filled out an electronic ballot and sent it securely to the election officials,” Menon said in a post on X.

Yes, you can even vote from space! All three US crew members had the

privilege of voting from space station. We filled out an electronic ballot and sent it securely to the election officials. https://t.co/hJCExQ2nKr

— Anil Menon (@astro_anil) November 3, 2026

ISS Sleeping Compartment Becomes Polling Booth

In the video, Menon demonstrated how he used his computer to complete and submit an electronic ballot to election officials in Harris County, Texas. His sleeping compartment aboard the ISS doubled as his polling booth.

Harris County is home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Mission Control, which coordinates operations with astronauts in orbit.

Menon explained that the ballot was submitted electronically through a secure system, allowing astronauts to participate in the election despite being away from Earth.

Like other data transmitted between the space station and Mission Control, the ballot travels through NASA’s Near Space Network, managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The electronic ballot is encrypted and can be accessed only by the astronaut and the relevant election official, helping protect the secrecy of the vote.

How Astronauts Cast Their Votes From Orbit?

Menon arrived at the ISS on July 14 aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, while Watkins and Delaney reached the orbital laboratory on October 1 aboard a SpaceX mission.

Voting from space is not new for American astronauts. They have been casting ballots while on space missions since 1997, using electronic voting arrangements that allow them to participate in elections back home.

The 2026 US midterm elections will decide control of Congress, with all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 Senate seats up for election, alongside several gubernatorial and local contests.