Voters in 10 US states will decide on election day whether to curb data centre 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 centre markets. No state has more data centre-related ballot measures, with voters in more than a dozen jurisdictions set to consider 21 proposals alongside Tuesday’s midterm elections, according to the non-partisan research group Ballotpedia.
Voters in 38 local jurisdictions will consider at least 41 measures that would delay, prohibit or impose new requirements on data centres, 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 centre opposition across the political spectrum.