ASTRONAUTS VOTE FROM SPACE

There are always different systems set up to allow for U.S.A. citizens to vote when they are not in their home districts. There are early voting campaigns for people who will be out of town on election day. There are voting booths set up for the military personnel who are stationed out of the country. There are a couple of Americans however, who are very very far away from any polling place and have to do something extraordinary to cast their vote.

Commander Edward Michael Fincke and Flight Engineer and Science Officer Greg Chamitoff are living and working onboard the International Space Station. Though they are 220 miles above Earth and orbiting at 17,500 miles per hour, they will still be able to participate in the upcoming election. A 1997 bill passed by Texas legislators sets up a technical procedure for astronauts -- nearly all of whom live in Houston -- to vote from space. (Science Daily)

The Harris & Brazoria County Clerk's Office created a secure ballot which is uplinked to the astronauts from NASA's Johnson Space Center Mission Control. The E-mails are encrypted with crew-member specific details so as to ensure proper voting and anonimity.

That's some pretty bad-ass shit there. There is no reason not to vote except for your own laziness, ineptitude, or callous disinterest. With so many astronauts living in Houston it is kick-ass that the County Clerk's Office has seen fit to ensure that these people's votes are counted. Space is the place.