Petitioners begin gathering signatures to get data center ban on ballot

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost recently verified a request for a ballot measure that seeks to ban large-scale data centers across the state. The initiative, proposed by Ohio Residents for Responsible Development, would prohibit data centers consuming more than 25 megawatts of electricity monthly. To qualify for the November 2026 ballot, petitioners must collect over 413,000 signatures from voters in at least half of Ohio's 88 counties by July 1, 2026. This proposed amendment follows several contentious data center proposals in various Ohio regions, including Wilmington, Hamilton, Mt. Orab, and Trenton. Concerns about the environmental and public health impacts of data centers have been vocalized, with Ohio gubernatorial candidate Casey Putsch highlighting potential issues such as skyrocketing electricity costs and excessive consumption of fresh water from sources like Lake Erie, the Ohio River, and local aquifers for cooling purposes. Conversely, an industry representative countered these concerns, stating that data centers are committed to covering their full cost of electricity and are actively collaborating with regulators, utilities, and grid operators nationwide to ensure fair compensation. The state currently hosts approximately 200 data centers, primarily concentrated in central Ohio, making this statewide ban a significant development for the region's technological and environmental landscape.