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Starbase Incorporation Vote Nears, SpaceX Employees Poised to Lead New Texas City

If approved, three unopposed SpaceX-affiliated candidates will assume leadership roles to establish governance for the company-focused municipality.

Voters who live near SpaceX’s facilities have begun early voting for Saturday’s election to incorporate Starbase as a new Texas city.
People visit the beach near a Starship rocket a day before its scheduled launch at the Starbase facility in March 2024.
Anthony Gomez owns a launch-viewing outpost just a few miles from Starbase with this view. He calls it a front row seat to the “greatest show on Earth.”
SpaceX's Starship spacecraft takes off from the company's Boca Chica launchpad on an unmanned test flight in 2023.

Overview

  • Early voting shows strong participation, primarily from SpaceX employees, ahead of the May 3 referendum on Starbase's incorporation.
  • The proposed city aims to support SpaceX's operations, including its Boca Chica Beach launch site, with governance tailored to its needs.
  • Three unopposed candidates, all with ties to SpaceX, are set to automatically assume leadership roles if the incorporation is approved.
  • The candidates—Robert Peden, Jenna Petrzelka, and Jordan Buss—bring extensive SpaceX experience but have conducted minimal public campaigning.
  • The incorporation follows years of legal and legislative challenges, including debates over public access to beaches and highway closures.