Officials are wracking their brains about how a Polish astronaut could legally cast his vote in a presidential election that will be held when the spaceman is due to be orbiting Earth.
Between May and June, astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski will take part in the IGNIS mission, Poland’s first technological and scientific mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
Traveling with a pierogi (a favorite Polish dish) Uznański-Wiśniewski will be only the second Pole to venture into space.
But the timing of his journey coincides with Poland’s presidential election, with the first-round set for May 18 and a potential runoff on June 1—by which time he will be in orbit.
Poland’s electoral law does not have any provisions for someone voting from space.
The issue has been flagged by the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), which formally asked the country’s electoral body, the National Electoral Commission (PKW), what could be done.
Traveling with a pierogi (a favorite Polish dish) Uznański-Wiśniewski will be only the second Pole to venture into space.
But the timing of his journey coincides with Poland’s presidential election, with the first-round set for May 18 and a potential runoff on June 1—by which time he will be in orbit.
Poland’s electoral law does not have any provisions for someone voting from space.
The issue has been flagged by the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), which formally asked the country’s electoral body, the National Electoral Commission (PKW), what could be done.
The electoral commission responded: “In the light of the current regulations, we are not able to advise anything other than the possible postponement of the IGNIS mission.”
Setting up a voting district similar to those established for Polish citizens on maritime vessels is not an option.
An on-board voting district can only be created if the vessel is commanded by a Polish captain and sails under the Polish flag.
The International Space Station meets neither of these conditions.
Meanwhile, Uznański-Wiśniewski does not qualify for proxy voting, which is only available to individuals with a disability or those over the age of 60 – conditions that would disqualify him from space travel in the first place.
Uznański-Wiśniewski hit the headlines earlier this year after revealing he planned to take pierogi, one of Poland’s most loved dishes, into space.
Setting up a voting district similar to those established for Polish citizens on maritime vessels is not an option.
An on-board voting district can only be created if the vessel is commanded by a Polish captain and sails under the Polish flag.
The International Space Station meets neither of these conditions.
Meanwhile, Uznański-Wiśniewski does not qualify for proxy voting, which is only available to individuals with a disability or those over the age of 60 – conditions that would disqualify him from space travel in the first place.
Uznański-Wiśniewski hit the headlines earlier this year after revealing he planned to take pierogi, one of Poland’s most loved dishes, into space.
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