Petitioners Get Approval to Start Gathering Signatures to Put Data Center Ban on Ohio Ballot

A grassroots organization, Ohio Residents for Responsible Development, has been granted approval to begin collecting signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at preventing the construction of new, large data centers across Ohio. The Ohio Ballot Board, with Kimberly Burns serving as acting chairwoman in the absence of Secretary of State Frank LaRose, unanimously certified the proposal on Thursday. This certification followed an earlier approval of the petition by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who noted his certification does not affirm the amendment's enforceability or constitutionality. The proposed amendment seeks to prohibit data centers with a peak load exceeding 25 megawatts per month, a threshold that would effectively ban most modern facilities. Advocates like Nikki Gerber, an Adams County resident and member of the submitting group, emphasize the need to conserve Ohio's natural resources and prevent rising electricity rates, which they attribute to data center energy consumption. The Office of Ohio Consumers’ Counsel highlights that data centers accounted for 4% of U.S. electricity in 2023, projected to rise to 9% by 2030, and a single large data center can consume as much electricity as 100,000 homes. To secure a spot on the November ballot, the group must gather more than 413,000 signatures from at least 44 of Ohio's 88 counties by July 1. Despite the tight deadline, committee members like Austin Baurichter and Andrew Gula express confidence in their volunteer-led efforts, planning to collect signatures at upcoming festivals with support from county leaders across the state. While it's unclear if the amendment would apply to data centers already under construction, proponents believe it will halt future development. This initiative comes as the Ohio House recently passed a bill to establish a data center study commission, and similar legislative efforts to ban or pause data center development are emerging in at least 11 other states.