Will SpaceX's Starbase in Texas gain city status? Voters decide Saturday

Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s vision for his SpaceX spaceport to achieve city status in Texas may soon become a reality. On Saturday, voters will decide whether to establish Starbase as a new municipality.
The ballot's outcome appears certain, with a SpaceX executive likely to become the mayor of this new settlement, according to AFP.
Of the 283 eligible voters, most are SpaceX employees working at the Boca Chica Bay facility near the Mexican border, or have ties to the company. The majority of votes were submitted before Saturday's 7:00 pm (0100 GMT) deadline.
Whilst Elon Musk is registered to vote, he hadn't cast his ballot when early voting ended on April 29, confirmed Cameron County Election Coordinator Remi Garza to AFP.
Official documents indicate nearly 500 residents live around the base in Cameron County, predominantly on SpaceX or employee-owned property.
City status would enable Starbase to manage building permits, avoid regulatory obstacles, collect taxes and establish local legislation.
The vote coincides with challenging times for Musk, who is expected to step back from his unofficial role in President Donald Trump's cost-reduction "Department of Government Efficiency" to concentrate on Tesla's operations.
Saturday's ballot includes a mayoral election with Bobby Peden, SpaceX's vice president of testing and launch, as the sole candidate.
The Texas facility, operational since 2019, serves as a crucial testing location for rocket launches.
Environmental concerns were raised by Bekah Hinojosa of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, who cautioned about potential "more environmental destruction."
"They would attempt more illegal dumping, they would build up their dangerous rocket operations and cause more seismic activity, cause our homes to shake, and that they would destroy more of the wildlife habitat in the region," she told AFP.
The name Starbase originated from Musk's social media post during a site visit four years ago. In December, SpaceX general manager Kathryn Lueders requested city status from local authorities.
Lueders' letter highlighted SpaceX's existing infrastructure including roads, education services and medical care, whilst assuring continued environmental impact mitigation.
This week, Republican lawmakers' bill granting coastal cities with spaceports control over beach access was rejected by a Texas House State Affairs committee.
In 2024, investigations by the Environmental Protection Agency and Texas authorities found SpaceX responsible for multiple spills and pollutant releases into Texas waterways. Responding to reports of rocket damage to wild bird nests, Musk posted: "To make up for this heinous crime, I will refrain from having omelette for a week."