There's little doubt over the outcome of the ballot that will likely name a senior SpaceX representative as mayor of the new settlement. Most of the 283 eligible voters are SpaceX employees working at the site on Boca Chica Bay bordering Mexico, or have connections to the company whose billionaire chief has long eyed a human mission to Mars. Most ballots have already been cast ahead of the 7:00 pm (0100 GMT) deadline on Saturday
Musk himself is registered to vote, Cameron County Election Coordinator Remi Garza told AFP, but the South African-born embattled 53-year-old had yet to cast his ballot when the early voting period closed on April 29. Nearly 500 people live around the base in Cameron County, on land mostly owned by SpaceX or its employees, official documents show.