US Voters Back AI Data Center Restrictions in At Least 29 Communities

In brief

• At least 29 US jurisdictions backed bans or restrictions on data centers in Tuesday's elections.
• Ohio approved multiple prohibitions, while voters in Illinois and Wisconsin rejected projects or demanded more public oversight.
• Not every measure is binding, but wins by candidates favoring moratoriums could bring tougher statewide rules.

Voters in at least 29 U.S. jurisdictions backed bans or restrictions on data-center development Tuesday, according to The Washington Post, dealing a new setback to the massive infrastructure buildout behind artificial intelligence.

The measures ranged from outright prohibitions to requirements for additional public approval. Some were nonbinding advisory votes, meaning their 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 leads the backlash

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.