Voters Back Data Center Restrictions in 40 of 41 U.S. Local Ballot Measures

Key Facts

Ballot measures on November 3 in 10 U.S. states showed voters backing restrictions on data center development in 40 of 41 local measures, according to Ballotpedia. The measures included proposals that would limit construction and others that would have facilitated it, making the result an indicator of widening local opposition in siting and permitting decisions. Ballotpedia said the exception was in Harwood, North Dakota, where voters rejected requiring additional review for some projects, including data centers. The results come as cloud computing and artificial intelligence companies rely on rapid infrastructure expansion. But they do not mean every project was rejected or that a uniform decision was made across all 10 states.

There were 41 local measures related to data centers, 28 of which would have limited development if approved, compared with 13 that would have facilitated it, according to Ballotpedia News. A total of 27 measures restricting or opposing development were approved, according to Ballotpedia. The decisions included five full bans, 12 partial bans and three six-month pauses. By contrast, all 13 measures favoring or supporting development were rejected, including four proposals to rezone land in Wilmington, Ohio, to allow construction. The results reflect a range of local tools, from preventing centers from being built to pausing development or imposing additional requirements.

In Grove City, Ohio, voters approved a requirement for a vote on projects involving the construction or expansion of facilities, or the transfer of property, if they cover more than 50 contiguous acres, have a power load exceeding 20 megawatts, or use more than 500,000 gallons of water per day. The decision subjects large projects to local voter approval if they meet any of these thresholds. Concerns about water and power use are part of the debate over data center construction, according to the open source that addressed these concerns. In July, New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued an executive order halting for one year the issuance of permits for new centers expected to consume 50 megawatts or more. These measures indicate that the response to expansion is taking shape through local and state-level decisions, using different tools and scopes.

The Associated Press said a Redbud analysis covered 47 referendums in 44 municipalities across 12 states, with restrictions approved in 44 of 45 elections where the count was complete. The agency's poll also found that about three-quarters of voters oppose building a new data center in their communities, while about a quarter said AI data centers were decisive in their vote for Congress. The agency reported that campaigns spent more than $380 million on television ads addressing data centers, and that Democratic spending on the issue exceeded Republican spending by more than three to one. According to the Data Center Watch project, the vast majority of winning candidates in congressional and gubernatorial elections backed tighter regulation or a temporary pause on data center projects. These indicators place local decisions within a broader electoral debate over regulation and resource use.

In the data center sector, CoreWeave's chief executive said greater scrutiny could slow center construction across the industry, but he did not expect it to materially change the company's expansion plans or raise its costs. He added that the pace of some construction work could be affected as companies work toward greater transparency and coordination with communities. He said: "I think there is a question of execution pace, as people need more transparency and need to work with communities through the process." The company's results show the scale of activity behind this debate: revenue was $3.661 billion in the third quarter of 2026, compared with $1.365 billion in the same period of 2025. It recorded a net loss of $709 million in the same quarter and a diluted loss per share of $1.27.

CoreWeave raised its 2026 revenue forecast to a range of $13.0–13.3 billion, from $12.4–13.2 billion previously. Its remaining performance obligations stood at $132.5 billion at the end of September, up from $104 billion at the end of June, according to Reuters. At the same time, its capital expenditure rose to $14.5 billion in the third quarter, from $9.4 billion in the previous quarter. This trajectory combines rising contracted demand with heavy infrastructure spending, as the company faces community scrutiny that could affect the pace of project execution. In the market, CoreWeave shares rose about 10% and Nvidia shares about 5% in the November 11 session after the company's results and comments on borrowing; the shares closed at $60.77 and $173.73, respectively.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects data center server electricity consumption to range from 446 to 818 billion kilowatt-hours in 2050, and server electricity to account for 22% to 33% of commercial building electricity consumption that year. In Washington, the Senate voted 73 to 25 on November 9 to formally begin consideration of a bill aimed at speeding reviews of energy and infrastructure permits, including infrastructure that powers data centers. Clarksville, Arkansas, voters are scheduled to vote on December 1 on two bond measures to support a data center project. Mandan, North Dakota, voters are also expected to vote on December 15 on a proposal to ban centers with capacity of 25 megawatts or more. These upcoming votes will add new local decisions to a debate tied to data center expansion and its energy and water needs.