Data Center Backers Suffer Near-Total Midterm Defeats Across the Country
Voters across the United States approved roughly 40 ballot measures restricting data center construction in the 2026 midterm elections, with Ohio accounting for 21 measures. Restrictions included energy-use caps, zoning rules, voter-approval requirements and outright bans, while only Harwood, North Dakota, backed data center expansion.
Data center projects faced widespread voter resistance in the 2026 midterm elections, according to CNET’s review of ballot measures tracked by Data Centers on the Ballot. About 40 measures supporting restrictions passed across states including Ohio, Maine, Illinois, Kansas, New Jersey, California, Florida, Nevada, North Dakota and Wisconsin; Ohio recorded 21 measures, all favoring restrictions. Six outright bans on new data centers also succeeded, while voters in Harwood, North Dakota, approved expansion.
The measures addressed energy consumption, zoning, voter approval and other local requirements, reflecting concerns about electricity costs, water use, environmental impacts and the broader effects of artificial intelligence. The results could lead local officials to delay or cancel projects, impose stricter conditions and demand greater tax and infrastructure contributions from data center developers, while increasing scrutiny from a Democratic-controlled Congress. CNET also disclosed that its parent company, Ziff Davis, has sued OpenAI over alleged copyright infringement, though that litigation is separate from the election measures.