Elgin council sets May 3 general election, shifts Elgin polling place to county annex

The Elgin City Council voted unanimously on a motion to call a general election for May 3, 2025, to elect city officials and to set related procedures for early voting and accessible voting systems.

City staff told the council the Elgin polling location will move from the Recreation Center to the North Bastrop County Community Annex. Peyton, a city staff member who has been coordinating election logistics, said the county remodeled and expanded rooms at the annex and that “it’s a better place, I think, overall, just because of the line, you know, in getting people there.”

The change followed several weeks of coordination with Bastrop and Travis counties over ward maps, GIS updates and polling locations. Council member Love asked for clarification about the new location after reports the Recreation Center had functioned as the polling site in previous elections. Peyton said the annex project is permitted and that the remodel is limited to nonstructural changes (demising walls and finishes), and staff expect the room to be available by May.

Staff outlined an outreach plan to notify voters, including website postings, repeated social‑media messages, fliers in water bills (where possible), signage at the Recreation Center and partner notices through the Elgin Independent School District. Peyton recommended starting city messaging about two weeks before early voting and increasing notices as early voting begins.

Councilors asked how the move would be communicated if Travis County had not finalized its selected location for voters who are on the Travis side of the city; staff said they continue weekly follow-ups with Travis County and will notify the council when that county picks its location.

The ordinance calling the election passed on a roll-call vote.