Tuesday's US midterms were also a referendum on AI-era data centers, and the result was clear. According to a CNBC analysis with Ballotpedia, 41 local data center measures were on the ballot in ten states, and voters sided against data centers in all but one, in Harwood, North Dakota. Other tallies count 45 or 46 measures and results are still preliminary, but the picture is the same.
Ohio was the main front: residents of 18 municipalities voted on 21 measures. In Sunbury, early results show a charter amendment banning data centers using 25 megawatts or more passed, and Wilmington voters rejected rezoning for such projects. In Piqua, Ohio, and Yukon, Oklahoma, officials who had backed data centers were recalled.
Opposition rests on recurring arguments: higher power bills, water use, noise, and a sense that incentives to companies outweigh community benefit. Analysts speaking to CBS said Democratic gains could embolden opponents, and in Texas some expect the results to slow plans to add 13 gigawatts of data center power.
Why it matters beyond the US: the AI race among Microsoft, Google, Meta, Amazon and OpenAI depends on building data centers at an unprecedented pace. If local approval gets harder, companies will need to expand existing sites, pay communities more, or look elsewhere.
