US Voters Reject Data Center Projects Across Dozens of Local Ballot Measures

Voters across the United States moved to limit data center development during the midterm elections, backing a large majority of local ballot measures aimed at restricting or blocking such projects, according to reporting from Tom's Hardware and Engadget.

Tom's Hardware, citing the tracker Data Centers on the Ballot, reported that 33 measures restricting data center development had already passed, with six additional questions leading. Only one measure, in Harwood, North Dakota, had failed. That proposal would have added an extra review process for industrial projects, including data centers. Five further measures had no posted results at the time of reporting.

The measures spanned roughly 40 localities across 13 states, according to the same tracker, and varied widely in scope. They ranged from permanent bans to temporary moratoriums, time-limited actions, and limits based on facility size or energy consumption. A separate tracker cited by Tom's Hardware counted some 46 measures across 10 states.