Key facts
- Ballotpedia tracked 41 data-center measures on November 3 ballots across 10 states, per the Post.
- Twenty-eight measures were framed so a yes vote would curb development; 13 would permit or support projects.
- Some measures were nonbinding advisory votes and do not automatically stop construction.
- BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said a broad moratorium could cause a recession: "If we have a moratorium of some sort in this country, we will be in a recession."
- OpenAI has sought to rebrand data centers as "compute campuses," the report said.
- Data centers house chips and servers used to train and run AI systems, and their electricity demand has made proposed campuses local fights.
Voters in at least 29 US jurisdictions backed bans or restrictions on data center development in elections on November 3, 2026, according to The Washington Post. The measures ranged from outright prohibitions to requirements for additional public approval, and some were nonbinding advisory votes whose passage does not automatically stop construction.
Ballotpedia tracked 41 data-center measures on November 3 ballots across 10 states. Twenty-eight were framed so that a yes vote would curb development, while 13 would permit or support projects, meaning rejecting one of the latter could also count as a defeat for developers.
Ohio produced some of the clearest results. All 10 charter measures backed by the grassroots group Conserve Ohio passed, according to the Post, and more than three-quarters of voters in Hubbard, Ohio, supported a ban on data centers. Voters in Granville, Trenton and Sunbury backed restrictions with margins of roughly 78% to 82%.
In Illinois, nearly 80% of voters in Joliet Township rejected an advisory proposal supporting AI data centers. In Janesville, Wisconsin, more than 60% approved a requirement for another public vote before major development at a former General Motors site linked to a proposed data center.
The facilities house the chips and servers used to train and run AI systems. Their appetite for electricity has turned proposed campuses into local fights over utility bills and grid capacity, while opponents also raise concerns about water use, noise and deals struck without public scrutiny.
AI companies are working to counter the backlash. Some are stepping up lobbying efforts, while others are turning to public relations campaigns. OpenAI, for instance, has sought to rebrand data centers as "compute campuses," in an effort to distance the facilities from the negative connotations increasingly associated with them, the report said.
The votes arrived alongside victories by politicians promising tougher oversight. Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas after campaigning for a moratorium on new projects, while Ohio's governor-elect Amy Acton also supports a pause and stricter rules.
Industry leaders have warned that blanket restrictions would put US AI investment at risk. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said last month that a broad moratorium could have serious economic consequences. "If we have a moratorium of some sort in this country, we will be in a recession," he said.