Data center developers may face a more restrictive path to expansion after voters across the US supported local limits and elected officials who favor moratoriums or other safeguards. The outcome adds pressure to a major part of the AI industry, but the election results do not show that opposition to data centers alone determined any particular race.
In an NBC News Election Day poll cited in the report, 76 percent of respondents said they opposed data centers in their communities. Voters considered the facilities directly in 45 local ballot measures. By Wednesday morning, results from 33 of those measures were expected to restrict development, according to a tally compiled by Redbud Consulting.
The measures included a 180-day pause on large data centers in Wells, Maine, retroactive to mid-June 2026. Several Ohio cities voted to prohibit facilities above 25 megawatts, while El Dorado, Kansas, approved a 10-year ban on data centers with peak electrical loads above 10 megawatts.
Election outcomes also produced a mixed picture. Texas governor-elect Gina Hinojosa supports a statewide development moratorium, while Florida governor-elect Byron Donalds opposed an outright ban. Donalds has, however, proposed requiring developers to pay for their own energy and water needs. In Iowa, governor-elect Rob Sand opposed a moratorium favored by his challenger, though both supported ending tax breaks for data center projects.
In other states, winners backed pauses or tighter conditions. Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed has called for a halt to new projects until they can be developed safely with federal protections. Georgia governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms supported a moratorium to review environmental and cost effects. Nevada governor-elect Aaron Ford has backed a pause on tax breaks for new facilities, while Maine senator-elect Troy Jackson supports a state moratorium.
Some races featured candidates who shifted their positions or supported limits short of a ban. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro barred nondisclosure agreements for data center projects through an executive order and removed AI data center proposals from an accelerated review track. In Ohio, Senator-elect Sherrod Brown argued developers should not receive tax breaks or approval without local input.
Other officials rejected moratoriums but supported standards for power and water use. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs took that position, while the state’s attorney general, Kris Mayes, endorsed a development pause. In Wisconsin, both candidates for governor opposed a moratorium and said they wanted to end state tax subsidies.
The results suggest that data center proposals are becoming a campaign issue even where candidates oppose broad restrictions. Some elected officials who favor development have also faced pressure to address infrastructure costs, energy use, water consumption, and local oversight.
Sources: The Verge.