Election day for the Nov. 3 general election has begun. Eligible Hays County voters can cast ballots on state, federal, county and city elections from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Nearly 42% of registered voters in the county cast ballots during the early voting period, according to the Hays County Elections Department. There are 204,061 registered voters in Hays County, and—as of Nov. 2—85,183 people voted early.

At the polls: Hays County residents can vote at dozens of polling locations and access wait times at each location on the county’s website.

Texas law requires voters to bring one of seven forms of identification to the polls, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

On the ballot: Hays County, San Marcos, Buda and Kyle have several elected positions on the November ballot.

Road projects in the city of Kyle have recently seen major progress. The city has provided updates on three transportation projects:

• Kohlers Crossing water line project: Crews are installing a 24-inch water transmission line. The right lane of westbound traffic on Kohlers Crossing between FM 1626 and Benner Road closed on Sept. 21, with the closure expected to last through December. The project cost is $6,382,468.40 to $7,020,715.24.

• Kohlers Crossing and Kyle Crossing intersection signal: Following a Sept. 26 accident in which a truck struck an overhead traffic signal cable, the Kyle City Council approved a repair contract with Austin Traffic Signal Construction Co., LLC. The cost is $184,290 to $221,148, funded by a Texas Disposal Systems, Inc. reimbursement.

• Kohlers Crossing to Seton Parkway: This $66.1 million project extends Kohlers Crossing to Seton Parkway. Crews are currently working on a bridge, stormwater improvements, utility relocations and roadway construction.

Check out the latest transportation project updates across the Austin metro.

New nonstop service to Alaska launching at Austin airport this summer: The new nonstop destination from Alaska Airlines will begin service from Austin to Anchorage on June 12, 2027 and will operate once weekly on Saturdays through Aug. 7.

TxDOT wraps up $677M Oak Hill Parkway expansion project: Nearly 40 years after planning began, construction on Oak Hill Parkway in Southwest Austin is substantially complete. The $677 million reconstruction of the seven-mile roadway segment has been ongoing since 2021, transforming a four-lane, undivided roadway into a six-lane divided highway with new frontage roads and 15 miles of shared-use paths.

Williamson County officials to look at school crosswalk safety: Officials plan to evaluate school crosswalk safety throughout the unincorporated areas of the county. Last spring, two students were hit by cars while using school crosswalks, Judge Steve Snell said. Although crossing guards tend to crosswalks 30 minutes before and after school, students also access these roads outside those times.

Cities and counties across Central Texas have recently considered new and existing contracts with the security technology company Flock Safety as debates surrounding public safety and mass surveillance heighten.

The overview: Flock Safety builds a variety of products utilized by law enforcement agencies, businesses, schools and communities, including Automated License Plate Readers, video cameras and drones.

Gov. Greg Abbott froze the use of state funding for Flock cameras on Aug. 28.

Concerns from Central Texas residents include fears surrounding mass surveillance, collecting and sharing of data with outside agencies, such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and misuse by law enforcement agencies.

In 2025, CEO and founder of Flock Safety Garrett Langley released a statement emphasizing that the company does not sell data, allows customers to decide independently what is shared with other agencies and does not have any contacts with ICE.

Cities and counties across Central Texas have responded in varying ways to the discussion surrounding the benefits and disadvantages of Flock equipment.