NASA astronaut says she's going to cast her 2020 election ballot from space

The upcoming US election is a pretty significant one.

It could either end Donald Trump’s tenure as president of the United States or give him four more years in power.

The weight of it is being felt, with even normally politically-silent celebrities like The Rock who has chosen to endorse Joe Biden having never backed a candidate before.

And even people who won’t technically be on the planet are turning out to vote.

Kate Rubins, a NASA astronaut who’s currently preparing for a six-month stint on the International Space Station, says she will be voting – from space.

In an interview with Associated Press, the 41-year-old stressed the importance of exercising her constitutional right to vote.

There's been legislation passed a number of years ago to allow astronauts to vote in space.

I think a lot of astronauts do this, they feel that it is very important. It's critical to participate in our democracy.

We consider it an honour to be able to vote from space. 

Rubins shared that voting was done via an absentee ballot and stressed that if she could do it from 200 miles above Earth, people down below certainly could.

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

Rubins did not reveal who she was voting for but UPS won’t be delivering her ballot.

Apparently it’s all electronic these days.

Voting from space was brought in after an astronaut complained about his disappointment at being unable to cast a ballot while on a mission in 1996.

A new law was passed in Texas in 1997 (as most astronauts apparently live in the state) which allowed remote voting from those exploring the solar system.

As for the address, astronauts markdown, well that’s up to them. Maybe ‘Second star to the right of Jupiter?”.

Just a suggestion.