Wednesday, November 4, 2026 --:--:-- ET
New York 62°F Partly cloudy Los Angeles 78°F Sunny Chicago 55°F Windy
Subscribe
U.S. Edition Est. 2026 Nov. 4, 2026

US News America

Independent reporting for a changing America

Breaking
South Africans Vote in Municipal Elections as Service Failures Test the ANC Voters in Dozens of Towns Back Limits on Data Centers in Midterm Ballot Measures Lions Linebacker Jack Campbell Says He Has Full Movement in Lower Body After Neck Injury Private Employers Added 86,000 Jobs in October, ADP Reports, Topping Forecasts Katseye Postpones Detroit Concert 30 Minutes Before Showtime After Megan Skiendiel Falls Ill
Technology

Voters in Dozens of Towns Back Limits on Data Centers in Midterm Ballot Measures

At least 33 local measures to restrict data center building passed or led in the November 3 midterm elections, according to a tracker cited by USA Today, while voters in only one town rejected a restriction.

By admin Nov. 4, 2026 · 6:42 PM ET 2 min read

A large gray data center building with rooftop cooling units, pipes, and a power substation beside a road under a cloudy sky.

Voters in dozens of towns and cities across the United States backed limits on data center building in the November 3 midterm elections, rejecting new projects in local ballot measures from Ohio to Florida and California.

Roughly 40 cities and towns weighed measures to restrict data center development, according to USA Today. At least 33 voted in favor of limits, and the tracker Data Centers on the Ballot, cited by USA Today, counted only one town that voted against a restriction.

Houses along a suburban street with utility poles, and cranes and a steel frame construction site in the distance.

Exit polls from NBC News, reported by USA Today, found that 56% of voters said artificial intelligence and data centers were a major factor in their vote for Congress. About 76% of voters said they would oppose the construction of new data centers in their communities.

Ohio led the local votes

Ohio was the center of the local fight. USA Today reported that voters in at least 18 communities in the state weighed whether to restrict the industry, and local vote tallies showed all of the measures were approved. Reason reported that 10 states considered 41 data center measures on Tuesday, with 21 measures in 18 Ohio jurisdictions.

The restrictions ranged from full bans to temporary pauses and new zoning rules. In Edgewater, Florida, voters supported adding a total ban on data centers to the city charter. At least 10 municipalities voted to ban large data centers or those that exceed 25 megawatts, a threshold that USA Today said effectively prohibits the construction of hyperscale facilities.

Rows of black server racks with cables and small lights along a corridor inside a data center, with a person walking far away.

Some towns went further than a ban on future building. In Piqua, Ohio, the mayor and two council members were recalled in part over their handling of a proposed data center backed by Meta, according to local outlets cited by USA Today. The mayor of Yukon, Oklahoma, was also removed from office before the end of the term after backlash against a hyperscale data center in the community.

State races also turned on the issue

Data centers were also a theme in larger races. In Texas, Democratic nominee Gina Hinojosa defeated three-term Governor Greg Abbott after she campaigned for a moratorium on new data center construction, USA Today reported. Abbott had earlier reversed course and enacted a statewide moratorium on the projects.

Supporters of data centers, including President Donald Trump, say the facilities bring jobs and tax revenue to communities, USA Today reported. They have also argued that a halt in construction would give China an edge in the race to develop artificial intelligence. Pushback has grown amid concerns over property values, energy use, the environment, and the effect of artificial intelligence on jobs and the economy.

People seated in chairs seen from behind, listening to a speaker at a wooden podium in a plain meeting room.

David Karol, an associate professor at the University of Maryland who studies American political development, told USA Today that people have been unhappy about data centers for a while. He said the midterm results showed how intense the bipartisan hostility toward the projects is.

Reporting based on coverage by USA Today and Reason.

Related Stories