Originally published on The Daily Flare.
Voters in 10 states overwhelmingly backed limits on data center development in Tuesday’s midterm elections, rejecting or restricting projects tied to the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The votes were cast on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Scientific American reported the next day that 41 data center-related questions appeared on ballots across 10 states, with voters siding against the buildout in all but one. The questions included proposed construction moratoriums, zoning changes and advisory votes to local officials.
The Guardian reported that data centers featured on ballots in at least 40 jurisdictions across the 10 states, and that voters approved nearly every moratorium, with dozens passed. The tallies reflect different measures rather than a single statewide vote, and some ballots asked voters to advise local officials rather than directly prohibit construction.
Some communities backed restrictions by wide margins. In Wells, Maine, more than 80% of voters approved a retroactive 180-day moratorium on data center development, Scientific American reported. In Emporia, Kansas, voters approved a prohibition on construction.
The sole result identified by Scientific American as a win for the development side came in Harwood, North Dakota. Voters there rejected, by about three to one, a proposal requiring additional review of industrial projects, including data centers. A $3 billion data center project called Polaris Forge 2 is already under construction near the city.
The measures varied in scope. Some sought temporary pauses on development, while others concerned rezoning or whether local officials should impose additional review. Their results added up to a strong local push for restrictions, though the Harwood vote showed that voters did not oppose every proposed limit in every community.
Opposition also featured in state-level campaigns. Scientific American said Texas governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, Georgia governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms and Ohio governor-elect Amy Acton, all Democrats, made data center regulation a key part of their campaigns. NBC News reported that voters also elected officials who had promised to rein in construction.
The potential impact in Texas is significant because the state accounts for about a quarter of U.S. data center capacity in the works, according to an analysis cited by Scientific American. The outlet said tighter rules there could slow the national buildout, but presented that as a possibility rather than a confirmed outcome.
Fox News, whose newsletter on the election was published Friday, Nov. 6, cited concerns over electricity costs and land use alongside the fast expansion of infrastructure for artificial intelligence. It also noted that President Donald Trump has backed large-scale data center construction to support the country’s AI ambitions.
Investors responded nervously after the results. Scientific American reported that AI data center stocks fell on Wednesday, Nov. 4, as investors reacted to the election outcomes. Fox News separately reported a Thursday decline in U.S. stocks as investors sold AI shares.
The results came as data center development has become a prominent part of the U.S. economic growth story and has helped drive stock gains during Trump’s second term, NBC News reported. The ballot questions put local decisions about the facilities alongside a national push to expand the infrastructure supporting AI.
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