U.S. Voters Reject Datacenters in Midterm Elections

Voters across the United States rejected large computer centers in recent midterm elections. They approved nearly every local ban and restriction on the massive buildings that power artificial intelligence.

These facilities were on the ballot in at least 40 areas across 10 states. In Ohio, voters passed rules stopping or limiting new centers in at least 14 towns, including Sunbury. That town is where Amazon wanted to build a $2 billion center. Maine saw temporary building stops in eight towns. In Emporia, Kansas, voters approved a ban on high-impact centers after a company proposed a huge 1,000-acre project.

Voters approved almost all of these local rules, with just one major exception. In Hardwood, North Dakota, a small town with fewer than 1,000 residents, voters turned down a bill that would have restricted new computer centers.

Where voters did not see the issue directly on their ballots, they chose leaders who promised to block new projects. In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa won the race for governor and promised to halt construction and give local communities more say. Her Republican opponent, outgoing Governor Greg Abbott, had also tried to win over voters against the centers late in his term by ending their power bill discounts, changing his earlier friendly stance. Newly elected governors Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia and Amy Acton in Ohio also promised to pause large center projects.

Opposition to these giant buildings has grown into an issue that unites both political parties. In May, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill placing strict rules on large centers. Financial analyst Dan Ives said the election results show that building new computer centers will start to slow down. Ives noted that Democrats taking control of the Senate will create major hurdles for tech laws in Washington over the next two years, pointing to Texas as a major worry because it holds nearly a third of the country's planned power capacity for these projects.

Summary

Voters across multiple states rejected large datacenter developments through local ballot measures and by electing candidates who promised strict moratoriums. The widespread pushback signals potential hurdles for the artificial intelligence industry and a slowing pace of datacenter expansion.