In the 1990s a small group of energetic and forward-thinking Bastrop County residents came together to form a local Democratic club. These people were inspired to generate and encourage progressive change in the community. Around 2007 another motivated group of people joined forces to form the Bastrop County Democratic Party. This group established the local party’s constitution and bylaws.
During the club’s existence, and for a while after the official Bastrop County Democratic Party was founded, members of each group were attending both the club meetings and the party meetings. At the time, the Democratic Party meetings would rotate monthly from Smithville to Bastrop to Elgin and back to Smithville. Ultimately, in 2008, members from both groups decided to combine their meetings so that residents would only have one meeting per month to attend. Another driving force behind their merger was funding. Only the officially registered group qualified to receive funds from the Texas Secretary of State’s Office. Together these Bastrop County Democrats organized block walks, set up phone banks, and registered voters. During Obama’s 2008 campaign, the party was instrumental in helping to get out the vote.