On Tuesday evening, American voters delivered a strong rebuke to the country's rapid data center boom through local elections. According to tracking website Data Centers on the Ballot, 45 ballot measures regarding these facilities appeared across ten states. As of early Wednesday morning, 33 measures aimed at restricting data centers in various forms had passed, with six additional measures projected to succeed. Only one municipality, Harwood in North Dakota, voted against an amendment that would have required public hearings before approving large industrial projects like 100-megawatt data centers. Five localities have yet to release their voting data.
The approved measures varied significantly in scope, ranging from outright bans and temporary moratoriums to limits on energy consumption. Several mandates also require elected officials to secure public approval before allowing new projects to proceed. Nowhere was this rejection more forceful than in Ohio, a state that currently hosts 257 data centers. In the Buckeye State, data center restrictions appeared on 20 ballots, with every single measure either already winning or projected to win.
In the cities of Urbana and Hubbard, voters approved outright bans by wide margins, with support reaching 76 percent and 77 percent respectively. The issue also heavily influenced state-level races; Democrat Sherrod Brown centered his US Senate campaign platform on opposing data centers. He characterized his opponent, Senator Jon Husted, as the "face of data centers" and blamed him for the proliferation of over 200 facilities in the state. The Associated Press declared Brown the winner of the contest late Tuesday.
The backlash against data centers appears to have impacted races nationwide beyond Ohio. An NBC exit poll indicated that 56 percent of voters considered artificial intelligence and data centers to be either a "crucial or major factor" in their decision for Congress.
Sources: Engadget.