Voters signal opposition to AI data centers in local primaries
Voters across the United States are demonstrating strong bipartisan opposition to data center developments in local primary elections, ousting incumbent officials who supported such projects. Concerns include high energy and water consumption, as well as perceived limited economic benefits. Examples of this trend are seen in Utah's Box Elder County, South Carolina's Spartanburg County, and Maryland's Calvert County.
Local elections across the United States are revealing a bipartisan surge in opposition to data center projects, with voters removing Republican incumbents who supported these developments. Despite typically pro-business stances, voters are expressing concerns over data centers' significant demands on local energy, water, and land resources, often without delivering promised tax revenue or jobs.
In Utah, Republican State Senate President Stuart Adams, a key figure in fast-tracking the massive "Stratos Project" data center in Box Elder County, lost his reelection bid after more than two decades. Similarly, two Box Elder County commissioners who backed the project were defeated in their primaries. Opposition leader Brenna Williams noted this was a "message vote," with a poll indicating over 70% of the county residents opposed the plans. The Box Elder Accountability Referendum (BEAR) is pursuing a legal path to allow public input on the project.
The trend extends beyond Utah. In Los Angeles County's Monterey Park, residents voted to permanently ban data centers. Virginia's Democratic-controlled legislature and governor agreed to a new tax on data centers' energy consumption. In South Carolina, the Spartanburg County Council, which had faced criticism for approving data center tax breaks, proposed a 12-month moratorium on new data centers just before primary elections. However, this move was insufficient to save two incumbent council members, who lost their primaries. In Calvert County, Maryland, three incumbent Republican commissioners, who had blocked a county moratorium, also lost to challengers campaigning on anti-data center platforms.
Nationally, a Gallup poll indicated that 70% of Americans oppose data center construction in their local area, with significant opposition across both Democratic (75%) and Republican (63%) voters. This widespread opposition highlights how local officials are on the frontline of managing data center development amid a lack of clear national guidelines from the Trump administration or Congress.