Voters reject most data center ballot measures in 2026 midterms

Voters across the United States largely rejected measures related to data center expansion during the 2026 midterm elections, according to data from Ballotpedia.

Election Results

According to Ballotpedia, there were 41 local ballot measures in 10 states that would place restrictions on the construction of data centers. Voters sided against data centers in nearly every contest, with the exception of Harwood, North Dakota. In Harwood, voters rejected a charter rule amendment that would have required additional review before city approval of industrial developments, including data centers.

Other states with ballot measures included California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, New Jersey, Nevada, and Wisconsin. In Ohio, 21 local measures were up for a vote.

Political Impact

Democratic candidates who campaigned on regulating or pausing new projects won key races in Ohio, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Texas.

In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa unseated Republican Governor Greg Abbott. Hinojosa has backed a moratorium on data center projects to ensure facilities do not strain the power grid. In Ohio, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Acton supports a "conditional moratorium" on data centers to ensure they "exclusively build with union labor" and cover 100% of utility costs.

In his successful senatorial bid in Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown referred to Republican incumbent Jon Husted as "the face of data centers."

Industry and Regulatory Outlook

The election results come as major technology companies spend significant capital on AI infrastructure. According to CNBC, Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta are each spending hundreds of billions of dollars annually on AI infrastructure, with all except Microsoft turning cash flow negative in the process.

In Ohio, OpenAI announced in August that it secured 8 gigawatts of computing capacity at the PORTS-Pike Technology Campus. The project, which is being developed by SoftBank and SB Energy in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, could cost more than $500 billion in total and is being backstopped by Nvidia.

Following the election, Representative Greg Casar, the Texas Democrat who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, stated, "AI company CEOs should be called to testify under oath." Casar added, "The revolt against data centers was one of the top issues of the 2026 election."

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Sources

• cnbc.com: Voters rebuff data centers in every ballot measure except one
• nypost.com: Voters reject data centers in nearly 50 ballot initiatives during midterms in major setback to AI bigwigs

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.