Urbana Voters Approve Charter Amendment Banning Most Data Center Construction
Urbana voters approved a charter amendment prohibiting construction of data centers within the city, with a limited exception for small privately owned facilities serving a single organization. The measure was included among the local issues reported in the 2026 midterm election results.
Unofficial results from the Champaign County Board of Elections show that 15,807 of the county's 26,379 registered voters cast ballots, for turnout of 59.92%. The election included local races, tax levies and a proposed charter amendment affecting data center development in Urbana.
The amendment prohibits construction of data centers within the City of Urbana, while exempting certain privately owned facilities serving a single organization if their aggregate monthly demand or peak load is below 7.5 megawatts. The article's headline indicates that the ban was approved, though the provided results do not include the amendment's vote totals.