Anil Menon, Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney filled out electronic ballots and sent them securely to election officials in Harris County, Texas.A still image taken from a video released November 3, 2026, shows astronaut Anil Menon pointing to an "I voted" sticker on his clothes after voting in the US midterm elections from the International Space Station (ISS). NASA/Anil Menon/Handout via REUTERS (via REUTERS)Menon shared a video on X on Tuesday, November 3, showing how he voted from his sleeping compartment, which he called his "voting booth".

He used a computer inside the room to complete and submit his ballot."Yes, you can even vote from space! All three U.S. 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 wrote on X.Deep DiveCheck live coverage of the 2026 US midterms here.Anil Menon shows his voting booth aboard ISSIn the video, Menon gives a look inside his small sleeping compartment, where he completed the US midterm voting process using his computer. He then sent the electronic ballot to Harris County, which handles voting for many NASA astronauts because it is home to the agency's Johnson Space Center and Mission Control in Houston.The three astronauts followed the same process to make sure their votes reached election officials despite being away from Earth.Also Read: Trump jokes he could move to Israel and become their prime minister if Americans get ‘tired of him’How do NASA astronauts vote from space?Voting from space is possible because Texas passed a law in 1997 allowing astronauts to cast their ballots while on space missions.According to NASA, astronauts first submit a Federal Post Card Application to request an absentee ballot.

Once they receive the electronic ballot, they fill it out aboard the ISS and send it through NASA's communication system.The ballot travels through the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System to a ground antenna at NASA's White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. NASA then transfers it to Johnson Space Center in Houston before sending it to the relevant county clerk.The process also protects the privacy of each vote.

NASA said the ballot is encrypted and can only be accessed by the astronaut and the county clerk responsible for counting it.Also Read: US midterms: What six leading forecasters predict about 2026 election outcomeWho was the first astronaut to vote from space?NASA astronauts have been voting from space since 1997. The first to do so was David Wolf, who cast his ballot while living aboard Russia's Mir space station.The International Space Station did not receive its first crew until November 2000, so Wolf's vote came from a different space laboratory.Menon arrived at the ISS in July 2026 aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

Watkins and Delaney joined him on October 1 as part of SpaceX's Crew-13 mission.The three Americans are currently living aboard the ISS with four other crew members from Canada and Russia.Sehjal Gupta is a Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times and is part of the US Desk. She covers a wide range of stories from the United States, including politics, sports, entertainment, breaking news, and major global developments.

She enjoys working across different beats because every story brings a fresh perspective and an opportunity to explore something different. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sehjal was part of The Times of India, where she headed the International Sports and US Streamers team.

She reported on international sports, athlete stories, streamer news, and major developments from around the world. The role gave her the opportunity to work on a diverse range of stories while leading coverage across two evolving news categories.

She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and believes the experience taught her the importance of staying organised, managing priorities, and adapting to new challenges. Over the years, she has reported on a variety of topics and enjoys taking on stories that keep her curious and encourage her to look beyond the obvious.

Expertise: International news, International/US sports, and streamer coverage. Interests: Global affairs, geopolitics, politics, and entertainment.

Outside work, Sehjal loves travelling, watching movies, and exploring new places to eat. She enjoys discovering new cultures and believes that some of the best stories and experiences come from stepping outside her comfort zone and exploring unfamiliar places.Read More