AI data center boom faces backlash at US ballot box

WASHINGTON, Oct 29 : Voters in 10 US states will decide on Election Day whether to curb data center development in their communities, as the rapid buildout needed to power the AI boom stirs local opposition.

Resistance is especially visible in Ohio, one of the country’s fastest-growing data center markets. No state has more data center-related ballot measures, with voters in more than a dozen jurisdictions set to consider 21 proposals alongside Tuesday’s midterm elections, according to the nonpartisan research group Ballotpedia. 

Voters in 38 local jurisdictions will consider at least 41 measures that would delay, prohibit or impose new requirements on data centers, the sprawling facilities that provide the computing power required to run AI applications.  Most states require petition drives or other demonstrations of public support before measures can qualify for the ballot, and their appearance reflects growing data center opposition across the political spectrum.

Support for banning construction of certain data centers is coming from both Democrats and Republicans, said local organizer Jessica Baker. “We all want the same thing.”

Baker, who is part of the advocacy group Conserve Ohio, said concerns about data centers’ electricity and water demands are driving the opposition. Even if developers generate their own power through gas turbines or nuclear reactors, many residents still do not want the facilities built near their communities because they are worried about health risks to their kids, such as asthma, she said.

If Ohio voters approve restrictions, developers are likely to steer projects elsewhere rather than abandon them altogether, said Baron Fung, who oversees IT infrastructure research at market research firm Dell’Oro Group. The industry already contends with major obstacles, including years-long waits for grid connections and rising construction costs.

“If there’s a cancellation or delay in certain sites, (developers) can potentially shift some of that demand to another site,” Fung said.

FULL STEAM AHEAD

Recent growth suggests local opposition has not meaningfully slowed the industry. US data center capacity under construction increased 48 per cent from December 2025 to June 2026, measured in gigawatts, according to John McWilliams, head of data center insights at real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield. 

“Even though there are areas or jurisdictions around the country where there is some friction between developers, there’s still areas where projects are moving forward,” McWilliams said.

The ballot measures have drawn attention from some of the industry’s largest players. In Sunbury, near Columbus, a measure that would ban data centers that use more than 25 megawatts of power could derail Amazon’s proposed $2 billion data center development. Amazon’s public policy lead Shannon Kellogg appeared on local television in October to answer questions about the project ahead of the vote. 

An Amazon spokesperson declined to say whether the ballot initiatives across the US would affect the company’s data center expansion plans. 

“We’re focused on working with local residents and officials to build data centers that support jobs, strengthen local economies through millions in tax payments and power the technologies customers rely on,” the spokesperson said. “Regardless of the outcome of any single measure, our commitment to the communities where we operate remains the same.”