US voters roundly reject data centers in ballot measures

Voters in more than 30 localities across nine states backed restrictions on data centers in Tuesday’s ballot measures, including moratoriums, outright bans, and limits on projects already proposed or underway. The results show that opposition to the facilities has become a potent local issue as the AI industry’s demand for computing infrastructure drives rapid construction. In Edgewater, Florida, voters overwhelmingly approved adding a data-center ban to the city charter. In Perry, Ohio, they approved financial and operational constraints on large technology companies seeking tax breaks.

The backlash is also affecting national politics and the economics of the buildout. Democrats running in more than 130 federal and gubernatorial races aired ads criticizing technology companies or data centers, and pressure pushed some Republicans to promise tougher oversight. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who had recently championed AI, made such promises but lost his race. Banks and asset managers financing new facilities have begun treating local resistance as a credit risk, while major technology companies are hiring community-relations staff. Their effort to recast data centers as “compute campuses” has had mixed success, suggesting that new branding alone may not ease residents’ concerns or restore confidence among investors.