Voters Reject Data Center Ballot Measures in Multiple States
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Ballot proposals targeting data centers were defeated in the majority of races across more than a dozen states, and several candidates who supported such projects also lost their elections.
Proposals related to data centers appeared on ballots in more than 40 races across 13 states during the recent midterm elections. Voters rejected the measures in 38 contests, with six municipalities voting to ban data centers outright and 12 imposing limits on the electricity they may consume. Candidates who advocated for data center development also suffered defeats nationwide.
In Texas, incumbent Governor Gregg Abbott, who had promoted the state as a hub for artificial-intelligence development, lost his bid for a fourth term. Abbott had highlighted Texas’s existing 300 data centers and plans to expand them, and he had accepted over $9 million from donors linked to the industry. After public opposition grew, Abbott announced a temporary pause on new projects, but state regulators continued to approve permits.
Democratic governor-elect Gina Hinojosa cited Abbott’s data-center stance as a central campaign issue. Abbott was defeated by more than 700,000 votes.
Other races saw similar outcomes. In Burgin, Kentucky, mayoral candidate George Hensley, who supported a hyperscale data-center project, lost to a write-in challenger. In Emporia, Kansas, voters approved a ban on high-impact data centers, and in Yukon, Oklahoma, the mayor who backed a hyperscale project was removed in a recall election.
"These midterms sent a clear message — people don't want to see data centers in their backyards," Michael Whitesides, deputy communications director for Local Progress, told 404 Media.
Local Progress, a network of elected officials, noted that several anti-data-center candidates, including mayors Kim Rooney in Asheville, North Carolina, and Amanda Rodrigues in San Marcos, Texas, won their races.
"Big Tech will continue its typical playbook of trying to buy and bully local officials into complying with their demands for more data center development, but our hope is that last night's results are a clear signal to local leaders that they can resist and their community will back them up," Whitesides added.
Elon Musk, who had invested heavily in the midterms and expressed interest in expanding data-center capacity, posted on X after the results, suggesting a shift toward space-based data centers.
Overall, the election outcomes indicate widespread voter resistance to new data-center projects in many communities.