The biggest surprise of the 2026 midterms may not have been a candidate. It was data centres. On 3 November, voters in 10 states considered 41 local ballot measures on data-centre development, and in 40 of them the side opposing development won.
The one exception, in Harwood, North Dakota, was a vote against adding a review requirement. Everywhere else, from Ohio to California, voters chose more restrictions, moratoriums, or no to supportive proposals.
The short version
- Measures: 41 local ballot measures in 10 states. Ohio had 21.
- Result: the anti-development side won 40 of 41. Voters approved 27 restrictions and rejected 13 supportive proposals, per Newsweek.
- Wider count: Redbud Consulting counted voters choosing more restrictions in 44 of 45 completed data-centre measures this autumn.
- Candidates: Sherrod Brown beat Jon Husted in Ohio, calling him "the face of data centers". In Texas, Gina Hinojosa unseated Governor Greg Abbott partly over the buildout.
- Voters: 56% in a CNBC voter poll called data centres a crucial or major factor in their vote.
- Markets: AI and chip stocks had their worst day since April 2025 two days later.
Where did voters reject data centres?
Ballotpedia counted measures in 10 states. Ohio had more than half of them, 21 in all. Communities in California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, New Jersey, Nevada and Wisconsin also voted on the issue, alongside North Dakota.
| Count | |
|---|---|
| Local data-centre measures | 41 |
| States | 10 |
| Ohio measures | 21 |
| Restrictions or moratoriums approved | 27 |
| Supportive proposals rejected | 13 |
| Pro-development outcome | 1 (Harwood, North Dakota) |
Why are people against data centres?
The ballot measures were local, and so were the arguments. Across the reporting this year, the same concerns come up:
- Electricity bills. Data centres draw huge amounts of power, and in several regions utilities have raised rates for everyone to pay for new generation and transmission. We explained the mechanics in what AI data centres are doing to US electricity costs.
- Water. Cooling large facilities uses significant water, which matters most in dry regions.
- Land, noise and few jobs. Data centres take a lot of land and run noisy cooling equipment around the clock, but employ relatively few people once built.
- Tax breaks. Many projects come with large local tax incentives, which voters increasingly question.
It is worth adding a note of caution. Newsweek reported that some post-election polling suggests data centres and AI were not a top priority for most voters overall. Local measures draw the people who care most. But where the question was on the ballot, the answer was nearly unanimous.
How did the industry react?
Big Tech is not slowing down yet. Just before the election, OpenAI announced plans for 8 gigawatts of capacity at the PORTS-Pike campus in Ohio, developed with SoftBank, SB Energy and the US Department of Energy and backstopped by Nvidia, at a possible cost of more than $500 billion. Ohio is also where voters were most opposed.
Elon Musk, the largest individual donor of the cycle at more than $474 million, lost both of Texas's marquee races. He wrote that "data centers in space" were "looking pretty appealing right now."
Incoming Democratic leaders were blunter. Rep. Greg Casar said AI company CEOs should testify under oath. Rep. Robert Garcia, expected to chair House Oversight, responded to the results in two words: "Lawyer up."
What happens to data-centre projects now?
Expect the fight to stay local. Federal law does not decide where a data centre goes; zoning boards, county commissions, utility regulators and state legislatures do. Practical consequences are likely to include:
- Slower approvals in places that passed moratoriums or new review requirements.
- Projects moving to states and counties that still welcome them, and to sites with their own power.
- More conditions on approvals: community benefit agreements, water limits, commitments to pay for grid upgrades.
- Federal scrutiny through hearings rather than new law, given the President's veto.
What does it mean for businesses that use AI?
In the short term, not much. The AI tools you use today run on capacity that already exists. Over two to three years, three things could follow:
- Compute could get scarcer and dearer if new capacity is delayed. Read your contracts for price-change clauses; our guide to AI vendor risk and lock-in covers what to look for.
- Energy costs stay political. If you run your own servers or depend on a power-hungry operation, the grid-cost debate affects you directly.
- State rules move first. Our operator's guide to US state AI rules tracks where obligations already apply.
Frequently asked questions
How many data center ballot measures were there in 2026?
41 local measures in 10 states on 3 November 2026, according to Ballotpedia's count reported by CNBC. Ohio had 21.
Did voters reject data centers in the 2026 midterms?
Yes. The side opposing data-centre development won in 40 of 41 measures. The only exception was Harwood, North Dakota.
Why are people against data centers?
The main concerns are higher electricity bills, water use, noise, land use, the small number of permanent jobs, and local tax breaks.
Will data center construction stop?
Not nationally. The opposition works locally, so expect slower approvals and projects moving to more welcoming places, not a halt.
Sources
CNBC on data-centre ballot measures; Newsweek; US News; Al Jazeera; Renewable Energy World. As of 15 November 2026.
