Opponents win nearly all US data centre votes so far

What was on the ballot

Ballotpedia, which tracks US elections, counted 41 local measures in 10 states before the vote. Ohio had 21, Illinois had seven, Maine had four and Kansas had three.

A “yes” on 28 of them would limit data centres. Seventeen of those were bans, and three were six-month moratoriums, or temporary halts. A “yes” on the other 13 would help building, for example through zoning. Nine measures were non-binding, so they only show what voters think.

Other counts differ. Route Fifty counted 40 votes, and Tom’s Hardware cites trackers with 45 and 46 measures. The reports don’t explain the gaps.

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The early results

By 8 a.m. Eastern Time on November 4, voters had approved 33 measures restricting data centres and one allowing them, according to Redbud Consulting, Business Insider reports.

Tom’s Hardware, citing the Data Centers on the Ballot tracker, reported 33 restrictions won, six more leading and one lost. Five had no posted results. A second tracker showed 11 of 13 measures that favour data centres on course to fail.

The restriction that lost was in Harwood, North Dakota. There, 75% of the 430 voters rejected a charter change, the secretary of state’s office said, Route Fifty reports. It would have required an independent review and a public hearing for large projects.

All these numbers are early and unofficial, so they can still change.

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Where voters said no

Almost 20 towns, cities and counties in Ohio held votes, and data centre opponents appear to have won every race, Route Fifty reports.

In Ashville, Ohio, 82% of 1,800 voters rejected a resolution to go ahead with data centres and a gas plant, Business Insider reports. In Trenton, a ban passed 80% to 20%. In Wilmington, about 80% rejected rezoning in four separate votes, Fortune reports.

In Emporia, Kansas, just over 60% backed a ban on centres that need more than 10 megawatts of power or 100,000 gallons of water a day, Route Fifty reports. In Alhambra, California, a ban was on track with 82%, with many votes still to be counted.

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Texas, and the AI question

In an NBC News exit poll, 76% of voters said they would oppose a new data centre in their community. And 56% called AI and data centres a crucial or major factor in their vote for Congress, Business Insider reports.

In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa beat Governor Greg Abbott, with a 7-point lead when 96% of votes were counted, the Associated Press reported. “We need an immediate moratorium on data centers to last until the legislature can meet,” the campaign’s website says.

That is still a promise. Democrats are on track to control the Texas House, but the state Senate appears set to stay Republican, Yahoo Finance reports. Texas accounts for more than 25% of planned US capacity by 2030, it adds.

The measures name data centres, not AI, and Emporia’s wording could also cover cryptocurrency mining, Route Fifty notes. “A lot of this comes down to the public’s fear of AI, and this is the tool they have to fight,” Republican strategist Rob Stutzman told Politico.

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What comes next

Goldman Sachs economists expect “short-term data center moratoria, potentially affecting about 45% of planned US data center capacity expansion,” Business Insider reports.

It is unclear how far the votes will touch projects already under way, Tom’s Hardware notes. Harwood’s measure, for example, would not have covered the Applied Digital campus already approved there.

More votes are coming. Voters in Clarksville, Arkansas, will decide on December 1 whether to approve bonds linked to data centres, Smart Cities Dive reports. Backers of an Ohio constitutional ban on large data centres hope to reach the ballot next year.

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