Voters backed new limits on data-center construction in 38 of the 39 nationwide referendums fully counted during Tuesday’s midterm elections, according to an analysis by Redbud Consulting. The firm’s report, Data Centers on the 2026 Ballot, classified measures by whether they restricted or permitted data centers, since ballot wording varied between races.
Redbud founder and CEO Alex Lundry said the restriction side received about 77 percent of the vote on average. The results are consistent with a Gallup survey published Monday, which found that 70 percent of Americans do not want data centers near where they live.
The only measure that had not passed at the time of the report was in Harwood, North Dakota. It proposed additional requirements for certain development and building projects, but did not use the words “data center” in the ballot language. Lundry cautioned that the result was difficult to interpret because about 430 people voted on the issue.
Measures that explicitly addressed data centers also generally succeeded. In Ohio, all 21 local initiatives passed. They called for a public referendum before construction of projects meeting at least one of three thresholds: occupying 50 or more contiguous acres, drawing more than 20 megawatts of electricity at peak capacity, or using more than 500,000 gallons of water a day.
Opposition to data centers also featured in several candidates’ campaigns. Heatmap journalist Jael Holzman reported that Georgia governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms and Ohio governor-elect Amy Acton won in part after taking firm positions against the projects. In New Jersey, Zack Mullock defeated Republican representative Jeff Van Drew in Cape May, while in Virginia Shannon Taylor defeated representative Rob Wittman; both candidates had also campaigned against data centers.
Sources: Rolling Stone.