AI boom meets ballot backlash: 10 US states to vote on data center restrictions
Voters in 10 states, including Ohio, are set to consider ballot measures that would restrict or regulate data center development amid concerns about electricity and water use. In Sunbury near Columbus, a proposed ban on facilities using more than 25 megawatts could affect Amazon's proposed $2 billion project.
Ballot measures across 10 states will ask voters whether to delay, prohibit or impose tighter requirements on data centers as communities respond to rapid growth in AI infrastructure. Ohio has the largest number of related proposals, with 21 measures in more than a dozen jurisdictions, according to Ballotpedia.
In Sunbury, near Columbus, voters are considering a measure that would ban data centers using more than 25 megawatts, potentially derailing Amazon's proposed $2 billion facility. Conserve Ohio organizer Jessica Baker said concerns about electricity, water and potential health impacts are driving bipartisan opposition, while Amazon public policy lead Shannon Kellogg defended the company's economic and community benefits. Analysts said restrictions would more likely redirect projects than stop overall industry growth.