Musk’s Starbase Vision in Texas Becomes Reality with Easy Vote

HOUSTON: Elon Musk’s ambition of establishing city status for his SpaceX spaceport in southern Texas came to fruition on Saturday, as voters decisively approved the transformation of his Starbase into an official municipality.

The ballot also designated a senior SpaceX official as mayor, achieving a unanimous outcome in the early voting results.

The majority of the 283 eligible voters consisted of SpaceX employees at the Boca Chica Bay site bordering Mexico or individuals linked to the company, whose founder has long envisioned a human mission to Mars.

“Starbase, Texas,” Musk tweeted on his platform X, “Is now an official city!”

His announcement followed the closing of polls, and unofficial results from Cameron County revealed an impressive 97.7% approval for the initiative.

Musk is registered to vote, according to Cameron County Election Coordinator Remi Garza, but the 53-year-old CEO had not cast his ballot when the early voting period concluded on April 29.

Official records indicate that nearly 500 residents live in the vicinity of the base in Cameron County, primarily on land owned by SpaceX or its employees.

This new status allows Starbase to oversee building and permitting processes, bypassing certain regulatory challenges while enabling tax collection and local law formulation.

The vote took place during a challenging period for Musk, who is likely to reduce his involvement with the unofficial “Department of Government Efficiency,” a cost-cutting initiative linked to former President Donald Trump, to concentrate more on his struggling car manufacturer, Tesla.

The early voting also confirmed Bobby Peden, Vice President of Testing and Launches at SpaceX, as mayor; he was the only candidate on the ballot.

Launched in 2019, the Texas facility serves as a crucial testing site for the company’s rocket operations.

Not everyone is optimistic about the idea of a SpaceX town.

Bekah Hinojosa, co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, expressed concerns regarding the environmental repercussions, warning of potential “destruction.” She claimed, “There would likely be illegal dumping, an enhancement of hazardous rocket activities causing seismic disturbances, and further destruction of wildlife habitats in the region,” in statements made to AFP before the election.