Voters rejected data center construction in nearly every local ballot measure on the issue on Tuesday in 10 states, delivering a broad setback to the technology industry's plans for artificial intelligence infrastructure.1,2,3,4,5
The exact count remains in dispute. CNBC described 41 local measures in 10 states, with voters siding against data centers in all but one. The New Republic also put the total at 41, with at least 33 municipalities voting to keep data centers out. The New York Post put the figure at at least 50 measures, with voters deciding against data centers in 47 cases and three outcomes still pending as of Wednesday afternoon. The measures would have limited construction in different ways, and their passage could make it harder to build projects that supporters say are needed to meet demand for artificial intelligence.1,2,3
Ohio accounted for the largest share of the votes, with 21 measures on the ballot there. Other states with measures were California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota and Wisconsin, with seven measures in Illinois, four in Maine and three in Kansas, according to one breakdown. In a CNBC voter poll, 56% of voters said data centers were a crucial or major factor in their decision, with Democrats ranking the issue higher than Republicans.1,3,5
Ohio has become a key battleground for the issue. OpenAI announced in August that it secured 8 gigawatts of computing capacity at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus in Ohio, described as the largest planned AI data center campus in the world. The first phase of construction is slated to begin this year, with capacity expected to come online in phases starting in 2028, according to the project's website. SoftBank and SB Energy are developing the campus in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, and Nvidia is backstopping the project, which could cost more than $500 billion in total. SoftBank is a major investor in OpenAI, and the two companies announced plans to invest $1 billion in SB Energy earlier this year.1
The issue also shaped races for higher office. In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown ousted Republican Sen. Jon Husted after casting the incumbent as "the face of data centers." Brown unseated Husted by 4.8%, according to NBC News. An August memo from the National Republican Senatorial Committee had warned that the facilities amounted to the "anchor hanging around Husted's neck." Ohio's governorship also changed parties, as Democrat Amy Acton, a physician, defeated Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. Acton supports a "conditional moratorium" on data centers to ensure they cover 100% of utility costs and "exclusively build with union labor."1,2,4
Democrats who campaigned on pausing or regulating new projects also won key races in Wisconsin, Georgia and Texas, which is on track to become the world's largest data center market by 2030. In Texas, Gina Hinojosa unseated Gov. Greg Abbott after blaming the Republican incumbent for the rapid buildout of data centers across Texas, saying he put the tech industry's interests ahead of local communities. Hinojosa has backed a moratorium on data center projects with an emphasis on making sure the facilities do not strain the power grid.1,2,4
The results came despite heavy spending around the election. According to a CNBC analysis of Federal Election Commission records, 14 of the 20 largest donor groups backed Republicans almost exclusively. Crypto, AI and online gambling interests poured in more than $377 million. Elon Musk, the cycle's largest individual donor, spent at least $474 million, nearly half of it in Texas, and lost both of the state's marquee races. "Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now," Musk wrote in a post on X.1,2,4
Within hours of the polls closing, Democrats called for industry executives to face scrutiny in Washington, where Democrats secured majorities in the House and Senate. Democratic Rep. Greg Casar wrote on X that "AI company CEOs should be called to testify under oath." "The revolt against data centers was one of the top issues of the 2026 election, and in a few years we will look back on it as just the early tremor of a much bigger AI earthquake upending American politics," Casar said. Top executives such as Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei are expected to come under the microscope. Ed Mills, a policy analyst for investment firm Raymond James, said, "If they consistently see there's an issue that voters support overwhelmingly, that is going to be their position," in comments to The Washington Post about a possible push for regulation in the 120th Congress.1,2
"Voters in red and blue districts alike made clear last night that they don't want decisions about data centers to be left to technology companies alone," Stephanie Justice, the policy communications manager for Americans for Responsible Innovation, said in a statement. "Their anger about being shut out of these deals led to the overwhelming passage of ballot measures restricting data centers and was a factor in the defeat of some candidates closely associated with the buildout." "The theme of the night was accountability for developers and candidates alike, and those just elected now know that they must give their constituents a say before data centers come to their communities," she added. In Hubbard, Ohio, more than three-quarters of voters approved a ban on data center construction, according to Trumbull County election results, even though President Donald Trump touted his administration's advancement of AI near Hubbard in a rally in Youngstown in October, according to the Washington Post. "He sees [AI] as a way to make more money. … They're putting billions and billions into all that. Where's it all coming from? You've got people starving here," William Akel, a 26-year-old resident of Niles, Ohio, said. About half of Americans said building data centers would increase home costs, according to a Pew Research Center survey, while an August survey published by Heatmap found 75 percent of the public opposes data center development in their communities.3,4
Local outcomes included bans and advisory votes for tighter rules. Voters in Alhambra, California, voted to ban data centers in the city, while voters in Edgewater, Florida, said no new data centers could be built there. Voters in Bloomington, Illinois, advised city leaders to impose a moratorium on large-scale data centers, while voters in Morgan County, Illinois, also advised restrictions. In Kansas, voters adopted some of the most restrictive proposals, including a measure banning construction of "high-impact data centers," defined as facilities that use more than 100,000 gallons of water per day, for 10 years, with reversal only by public vote. The one outcome widely described as favorable to the industry was in Harwood, North Dakota, where voters rejected an added review of industrial projects, including data centers. The secretary of state's office said 75% of the 430 people who voted rejected an amendment that would have required an independent review and public hearing before adopting large industrial projects.3,5
It is not yet clear how many additional local measures favored limits, because outlets differed on exceptions and pending votes. One account said voters sided against data centers in every measure except Harwood, while another listed two additional Ohio exceptions: voters in Wilmington supported rezoning rural residential land to allow a data center, and voters in Granville opposed amending the city charter to prohibit data centers. Voters in Arkansas and North Dakota are expected to vote on whether to finance or prohibit data centers on Dec. 1 and Dec. 15, respectively. On financial markets, the AI trade was already faltering before the election, with chipmakers and other data center-related companies selling off in October on concerns about rising interest rates and overspending. The hyperscalers — Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta — are each spending hundreds of billions of dollars a year on AI infrastructure to meet what they say is insatiable demand, and all except Microsoft have turned cash flow negative in the process.1,2,3,5
Governors-elect who backed moratoriums or conditions on construction won, and members of the incoming Congress could take up regulation of data center sites. Casar and other Democrats have already pressed for hearings with company chief executives.1,2,4
