Voters in Seven States Will Decide 34 Data Center Ballot Measures This November
Voters in California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin will decide 34 ballot measures on data center development this November, as polling shows broad local opposition and Senate candidates split over moratoriums and who should pay for new power demand.
The expansion of data centers built to support artificial intelligence is moving from planning boards to the ballot box, with voters in seven states set to decide 34 measures this November that could shape where the facilities are built and under what conditions, according to Fox News.
The measures will appear in California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin, according to Fox News. Ohio accounts for the largest share, with 20 measures across 17 jurisdictions, more than half the national total. The votes come as other states have weighed limits on new development, turning a fast-growing source of electricity demand into a campaign issue.
Polling shows local resistance and a partisan split
A Fox News national poll conducted last month found voters torn between the technology’s promise and its local costs. According to Fox News, 71% of voters opposed building AI data centers in their own area, including 46% who strongly opposed them, while 52% supported building them in remote locations. The same survey found 60% of voters held a negative view of AI, compared with 37% who viewed it positively.
Fox News reported that views break along party lines, with voters who view AI favorably leaning Republican and those with unfavorable views leaning Democratic, and that the divide is wider on data centers themselves. President Donald Trump has opposed broad federal regulation of the AI industry and has defended the facilities’ economic potential, according to Fox News, while arguing the United States should not fall behind China on the technology.
Senate races are fighting over moratoriums and power bills
The ballot questions overlap with competitive Senate races where candidates are taking different positions on pauses, local control and costs. In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott recently ordered a pause on data center permitting and grid connections pending an audit, while his Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa has backed temporary moratoriums, according to Fox News. In Ohio, Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown has criticized Republican Sen. Jon Husted over development, while Trump has defended the industry’s economic case on the campaign trail, according to Fox News.
More broadly, Senate candidates are divided among backing moratoriums, requiring developers to cover their own energy and infrastructure costs, or leaving decisions to local officials, according to the Washington Examiner. The Examiner reported that the House passed the Ratepayer Protection Act earlier this year, which would require states to consider standards for new data centers to cover the costs of new generation, transmission and upgrades, but that Senate Democrats blocked the bill last month, arguing its compliance provisions were voluntary and did not go far enough.
With early voting underway in several states, the November results will test whether voter concern about electricity costs, water use and tax breaks outweighs promises of jobs and investment from one of the fastest-growing parts of the technology sector.
Reporting based on coverage by Fox News and the Washington Examiner.
