【American Astronauts Cast Votes in Space】According to the Harris County Clerk's Office in Texas, astronauts Butch Wilmore, Sunita Williams, and Don Pettit participated in early voting for the U.S. presidential election at the International Space Station. NASA astronauts posted a photo on Instagram on election day wearing socks with elements of the American flag. Two of the astronauts' socks had the phrase 'Proud to be an American' written on them. How do astronauts vote? Ballots in space are transmitted to Earth in the same way that data is transmitted between the space station and mission control, sent to Earth via NASA's Near Space Network.