Bastrop County voters can begin casting ballots Oct. 19 as early voting gets underway for the Nov. 3 general election.

Early voting runs through Oct. 30, giving residents 12 days to weigh in on races affecting Bastrop County before Election Day.

On the ballot: Among the races and measures Bastrop County voters may see on their ballots are:

• Bastrop County Judge

• Bastrop County Commissioner, Precinct 4

• Bastrop ISD’s voter-approval tax rate election

• Local-option alcohol sales

• Texas House District 17

• U.S. House District 27

Looking for more races? Explore Community Impact’s Voter Guide.

What you need to know: Bastrop County voters can cast an early ballot at any early voting location in the county, regardless of their precinct.

Use the interactive map and table inside to find early voting locations and hours.

Stay tuned: Follow Community Impact on election night Nov. 3 for live updates on races, ballot measures and more as results come in.

Election logistics, fast-moving development and school finances are drawing readers’ attention across Bastrop County. Catch up on these stories to help you stay in the know:

• 🗳️ 2,000-plus delayed voter records trigger overtime in Bastrop County

• 🏗️ Plans filed for $366M Pacifico-BlackChamber data center

• 👷 EdgeConneX data center filings reach $5.8B

• 🏫 Bastrop ISD earns highest fiscal accountability rating, Superior Achievement

Central Texas could experience increased moisture and slightly cooler temperatures as El Niño lingers through the fall and winter, Pflugerville weather forecaster James Greenhaw said in an interview with Community Impact.

According to a report from NOAA, there is an 83% chance that this will be the strongest El Niño on record. Greenhaw, who's known as the "Pflugerville Weather Guy" for sharing updates on social media, explained the effects this natural climate pattern could have on the area.

Q. What is El Niño?

The description is hard to exactly say, but it's basically the warming of the Pacific waters west of Central America.

Q. How will El Niño affect Central Texas weather?

In a typical El Niño year, what that does is it brings in more moisture toward the United States, especially toward Texas.

Q. What’s the timeline of El Niño?

December through, I would say March [or] April months, are going to be our highest chances to see increased rainfall. Not necessarily flooding, but it can happen.