Ohio AG Yost certifies petition, summary on data center ban

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has certified the petition title and summary for a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at prohibiting the construction of large-scale data centers within the state. The amendment, titled "Prohibition of Construction of a Data Center," seeks to add Section 36a to Article II of the Ohio Constitution and specifically targets data centers that consume 25 megawatts or more of electricity per month. This certification, issued on Thursday, signifies that the title and summary accurately represent the proposed initiated constitutional amendment. The next procedural step requires the Attorney General's Office to file a verified copy of the amendment and its certification with the Ohio Secretary of State's Office. Following this, petitioners must gather signatures from registered voters equivalent to at least 10 percent of the vote cast in the most recent gubernatorial election. These signatures must be collected from voters in a minimum of 44 of Ohio's 88 counties, with each of those counties contributing at least 5 percent of its recent gubernatorial election vote. If these signature requirements are met and verified by the Secretary of State at least 65 days before an election, the full text of the proposed amendment will be placed on the ballot in the next regular or general election, provided it occurs 125 days after the petition filing.