Voters Reject Most Data Center Measures as Democrats Win Key Races
Voters rejected 40 of the 41 data center-related measures decided on November 3. The proposals covered issues including construction limits and requiring technology companies to pay for electricity-grid upgrades. One measure, in Harwood, North Dakota, which called for additional review of industrial developments, failed to pass.
Ohio had the largest number of measures. Elsewhere, Cumberland County, New Jersey, rejected a measure on support for data centers in Downe Township by 87% to 13%. Oxford County, Maine, approved a 180-day development and permitting moratorium by 76% to 24%, while voters in Morgan County, Illinois, backed a recommendation for restrictions by 88%.
Opposition was also reflected in statewide races. In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown defeated Republican Jon Husted in the Senate contest, while Democrat Amy Acton defeated Vivek Ramaswamy in the governor’s race, 52% to 44%. Acton campaigned on a conditional moratorium and said data center companies should cover utility costs. Democrats who made data center limits a campaign issue also won major races in Wisconsin, Georgia and Texas.
A CNBC voter poll found 56% said data centers were a major or crucial factor in their vote, with Democrats giving the issue more weight than Republicans. Separately, an October poll found 72% opposed having a data center built in their community. An industry group pledged more than $400,000 against Ohio restrictions, and opponents of restrictions in an Oregon town raised $335,000. Whether Democrats turn their campaign gains into policy remains uncertain.
Voters Rebuke Big Tech as Data Center Backlash Helps Democrats
The election sent a message to technology companies and the politicians who backed their expansion: local communities want a say over data centers and the costs they may bring. Voters rejected 40 of 41 measures decided on November 3, including proposals to restrict construction and make companies pay for grid upgrades.
The results came alongside Democratic victories in several high-profile races. In Ohio, Sherrod Brown defeated Jon Husted in the Senate contest, and Amy Acton prevailed over Vivek Ramaswamy in the governor’s race, 52% to 44%. Acton campaigned on a conditional moratorium and pledged that companies should cover utility costs. Democrats who made data center limits a campaign issue also won major races in Wisconsin, Georgia and Texas.
The public concerns are not hard to see: voters have focused on electricity costs, water use and other local impacts. An October poll found 72% opposed to having a new data center built in their community. A CNBC voter poll found 56% considered the issue a major or crucial factor in their vote.
The industry spent to oppose restrictions, including more than $400,000 against Ohio measures, but voters largely rejected its position. President Trump has defended data centers by warning that opposition could mean “poverty, crime and squalor.” The ballot results point to a different concern: whether tech companies and their political allies are asking communities to shoulder costs without sufficient safeguards. Whether Democratic winners will deliver policy changes remains to be seen.
Local Voters Reject Data Centers, Putting Both Parties on Notice
The message from local voters was unmistakable: communities want control over whether data centers are built and who pays for the infrastructure they need. Voters rejected 40 of 41 measures decided on November 3, including proposals to restrict construction and require companies to pay for grid upgrades.
This was not simply a partisan result. An October poll found opposition to a new data center in one’s community among 58% of Republicans, 76% of independents and 81% of Democrats. A separate voter poll found 56% considered data centers a major or crucial factor in their decision. The concerns cited include electricity bills, local water use and farmland loss.
The results should challenge both parties to take affordability and corporate accountability seriously. In Ohio, measures to restrict data center development won broad support, while Democrats who campaigned on the issue also prevailed in several major races. The industry put more than $400,000 into opposing Ohio restrictions, but voters still rejected its case.
Big Tech has promoted AI as a source of progress and prosperity, but the benefits have to be weighed against local burdens. Democrats may have gained from this frustration, yet whether they convert campaign promises into policy remains an open question. The election’s clearest lesson is that leaders who ignore voters’ concerns about costs and local control risk losing their trust.
Reported by Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller.
