Frustrated by long voting lines? Imagine being stuck hundreds of miles above the Earth and needing to cast your ballot.

That’s the reality U.S. astronauts find themselves in. Currently, four Americans are orbiting the Earth, including SpaceX astronaut Nick Hague, NASA astronaut Don Pettit, and stranded Boeing Starliner astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams.

Despite being 250 miles above the nearest polling place, the U.S. astronauts aboard the International Space Station are voting from space by using NASA’s Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) network, which allows astronauts to transmit their encrypted votes back to Earth securely.

“The Near Space Network allows astronauts on the International Space Station to take part in the democratic voting process and ensure their voices are heard,” deputy associate administrator for SCaN, Kevin Coggins, told Decrypt in a statement.

NASA said that Williams, Wilmore, Hague, and Pettit have indicated they plan to vote, but when they do is their decision.

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Author: Jason Nelson