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According to Ballotpedia statistics, during the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, of the 41 data center-related referendums, 37 have already been won by opponents, with 4 still being counted, and not a single one in favor of data centers. heise online reported that in Bloomington, Illinois, about 22,000 people (78%) supported a proposal to impose a ban on large data centers; in Piqua, Ohio, the mayor and two city commissioners who supported a large data center project were recalled. Opposition is mainly focused on the electricity demand of such facilities, the impact on electricity prices, and noise issues. A popular Hacker News report added that voters in more than 30 localities across 9 states voted on data center-related measures, approving restrictive plans such as moratoriums and outright bans; Edgewater, Florida, wrote a data center ban into its city charter, and Perry, Ohio, imposed financial and operational constraints on hyperscale vendors seeking tax incentives.
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43 of 44 Data Center Moratorium Proposals Passed After the U.S. Midterm ElectionsDevelopments
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Ballotpedia statistics show data center referendums almost all failed
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Nov 6
Phoenix Tech
43 of 44 Data Center Moratorium Proposals Passed After the U.S. Midterm Elections
In the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, the Democratic Party won control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Of the 44 local ballot measures to halt data center construction on November 3, 43 passed. An NBC News Election Day poll showed that 76% of surveyed voters opposed building data centers in their communities. The analysis firm Yorkville Ives & Co. estimates that the planned construction of up to 1,000 data centers in the United States may slow down, and Meta Platforms President Dina Powell McCormick revealed that some companies are considering moving data center construction outside the United States.
Nov 5
cnBeta
US states reject data center proposals in ballot votes; OpenAI pledges to bear electricity costs itself
Of 41 local ballot proposals across 10 US states, only one won voter support; the rest backed restricting data centers or rejecting development proposals. OpenAI subsequently released a policy platform pledging to bear data center electricity costs itself and protect electricity ratepayers. Global affairs chief Chris Lehane said the platform had been in preparation since August and that the company had met with dozens of lawmakers and candidates. In February this year, OpenAI told investors it aims to invest a cumulative total of about $600 billion in computing power by 2030.
Wired AI
US midterm election results are in: candidates opposed to data centers win across the board
In the US midterm elections, multiple candidates advocating strict regulation of data centers won, including Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, as well as Democrats Keisha Lance Bottoms and Gina Hinojosa in the Georgia and Texas gubernatorial elections, both of whom advocated a moratorium on data center construction. NBC News exit polls show that nearly a quarter of voters listed data centers as a key factor in their vote, and nearly two-thirds said it was a major or minor factor. In data center referendums in nine states, voters rejected future construction plans and passed moratoriums, with only one county allowing more data center development on the ballot.
The Rundown AI (X)Related discussion
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Nov 4
Hacker News Trending
US Voters Reject Data Center Projects in Ballots Across Multiple Locations
US voters in more than 30 localities across 9 states voted on data center-related measures, approving restrictive proposals such as moratoriums and outright bans. In Edgewater, Florida, a data center ban was written into the city charter, while Perry, Ohio, imposed financial and operational constraints on hyperscale firms seeking tax incentives. Reports say that in this election cycle, Democratic candidates in more than 130 federal and gubernatorial races ran anti-tech or anti-data-center ads, and banks and asset managers financing AI infrastructure have begun to treat local opposition as a credit risk.
heise online
US AI data centers face power supply crunch; SpaceX uses retired aircraft engines to power Colossus 2
To bypass the lengthy grid interconnection process, US companies have begun using retired aircraft engines to power AI data centers. SpaceX's AI subsidiary has already installed 8 modified engines in Mississippi to power Colossus 2 in Memphis. According to The New York Times, citing official documents and satellite imagery, ProEnergy says a single engine from a Boeing 747 can output about 50 megawatts, and retired military aircraft engines at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona could generate up to 40,000 megawatts in total. The article also mentions that in Tuesday's elections, all 37 data center-related referendums that had been counted were won by the side supporting a moratorium, a ban, or higher thresholds.
Fortune TechRelated discussion
Fortune Tech joined this discussion
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heise online
Multiple Data Center Referendums in US Midterm Elections Almost All Rejected
During the US midterm elections, voters in many places voted on data center issues. According to Ballotpedia statistics, of 41 ballot measures, 37 have been won by opponents, with 4 still being counted, and not a single one supporting data centers. In Bloomington, Illinois, about 22,000 people (78%) supported a proposal to ban large data centers; in Piqua, Ohio, the mayor and two city commissioners who supported a large data center project were recalled. Opposition is mainly focused on the electricity demand of such facilities, the impact on electricity prices, and noise issues.
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