Citizen effort to ban data centers lacks enough signatures to make November ballot
A citizen effort to ban new large-scale data centers in Ohio failed to gather enough signatures to appear on this year's ballot. Organizers plan to carry over existing signatures for another attempt for the November 2027 election. Meanwhile, state legislative efforts to address data center concerns have stalled.
A citizen-led effort in Ohio to enact a statewide ban on new large-scale data centers, defined as those consuming over 25 megawatts monthly, has failed to secure enough signatures to appear on the November ballot this year. Conserve Ohio attorney Austin Baurichter stated that approximately 70,000 signatures were collected, significantly short of the 413,500 required. The organizers plan to carry over the collected signatures and resume their campaign, aiming to gather the necessary support for the November 2027 election.
Concurrently, legislative efforts within the Ohio House and Senate to address community concerns regarding data centers have stalled. A bill that sought to regulate data centers and potentially modify state tax exemptions for large facilities did not progress before the summer recess, with debate centering on the future of tax incentives. While the House intends to convene a special session on June 24, the Senate is not scheduled to return until November, making further progress on data center legislation unlikely before the general election.
The ongoing citizen and legislative actions reflect broader community pushback against data center development across Ohio, where roughly 200 data centers currently operate, predominantly in the central region.