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USPAACC
Excellence Award Recipient to Vote From Space
Come Election Day on
November 2nd, American Astronaut and
Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao will exercise his
civic duty and right to vote under extraterrestrial
circumstances—by casting his ballot 230 miles above
earth! He will make history, as this will be the first
vote ever to be cast in a presidential election from
space.
Commander Chiao, a 2003 recipient of the USPAACC
Excellence Award for Science and Technology, has just
started his six-month mission as Commander of the
tenth crew of the International Space Station. The
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
is coordinating the voting procedure, through an
electronic ballot which will be e-mailed to Chiao’s
secure account at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Using a
high-speed modem via satellite, Chiao will be able to
cast his vote and send it back to Mission Control
Center. His vote will then be transferred to and
recorded at the Galveston County Clerk’s office.
The
procedure of voting from space was made possible by a
bill passed by Texas legislators in 1997 and signed by
then-Governor of Texas, George W. Bush.
"Voting is each citizen's most basic, yet most
powerful tool for participating in America's cherished
right to choose its leaders," Expedition 10 Commander
Leroy Chiao said via satellite, as he urged eligible
voters to head to the polls on Election Day.
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