The Votes Are In: Americans Don’t Want Data Centers
A Rolling Stone analysis of 2026 ballot measures found that voters overwhelmingly supported restrictions on new data center development. Of 39 fully counted referendums, 38 enacted restrictions, while a measure in Harwood, North Dakota, failed.
Voters across the United States overwhelmingly backed ballot measures restricting new data center development in the 2026 elections, according to an analysis by Redbud Consulting. The firm found that 38 of 39 fully counted referendums resulted in new restrictions, with the restrictive position receiving about 77 percent of the vote on average.
Alex Lundry, founder and CEO of Redbud Consulting, said the results reflected growing public distrust of data centers, a sentiment also reflected in a Gallup poll showing that 70 percent of Americans do not want a data center near where they live. The lone measure that failed was in Harwood, North Dakota, where voters rejected additional requirements for certain development projects; the ballot language did not explicitly mention data centers and involved only about 430 voters.