At least 40 communities across 13 states voted on proposals related to new data centers, according to figures compiled by Semafor journalist J. D. Capelouto. With one notable exception in North Dakota, most of the measures went against new development, often by wide margins.
In El Dorado, Kansas, voters approved a 10-year ban on data centers larger than 10 megawatts. Residents of Urbana, Ohio, backed a general moratorium, while Emporia, Kansas, barred facilities classified as high-impact. In Sunbury, Ohio, Amazon’s proposed $2 billion campus had already been put on hold and now faces further uncertainty.
Ohio accounted for 21 of 41 measures held across 18 municipalities, according to Fortune. The state had also seen 125 local moratoriums approved in recent months. A cited survey found that 55% of Ohio residents opposed building data centers, while 22% supported it; 65% opposed offering the facilities tax incentives.
The votes came despite substantial industry spending. In Ohio, Build American AI, an initiative linked to a super PAC associated with Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, spent more than $2.5 million on television advertising. Citation Needed reported that crypto- and AI-linked groups invested $250 million across the elections. In closely contested races where those groups backed a candidate, their preferred side lost nine of 12 contests, most of them involving Republicans.
Texas is another important test for the sector. The state accounts for roughly 27% of planned US data center power capacity for 2027 and about 30% of capacity expected to come online in 2028. The article reports that Gina Hinojosa, who supports an immediate moratorium, won the governor’s race against Greg Abbott. The outcome puts a major share of planned computing infrastructure in a state led by a politician opposed to data center expansion.
Opposition was also apparent in a national NBC exit poll cited in the report. AI and data centers were a “crucial” voting factor for 23% of voters and an “important” one for another 33%. Asked about having a data center in their community, 76% were opposed.
The resistance could affect planned construction. Brad Gerstner estimated that around 15 gigawatts of the 43 gigawatts of capacity expected to be added next year could be at risk. The report also says 145 projects had already been delayed or canceled before the vote, while local opposition and uncertainty are being treated by banks as risks when issuing credit.
The results suggest that public acceptance is becoming a significant challenge for the data center industry. The article says at least 130 Democratic candidates ran campaign ads criticizing data center projects or technology companies more broadly, as opposition to the infrastructure became a more visible election issue.
Sources: Xataka.