PolicyNews
US midterms: voters push back on data centers
In the US midterms, voters rejected unconstrained data-center growth: dozens of local restrictions passed, moratorium-friendly candidates won key races, and an NBC exit poll found 76% opposed local campuses.
· 1 min read
What the election showed
US midterm results on November 4 left data-center developers on the defensive. An NBC News exit poll found 76% of voters opposed data centers in their communities. Redbud Consulting’s tally had 33 of 45 local ballot measures restricting development. The backlash sits alongside broader critical-infrastructure AI risk debates, but targets physical buildout and power use.
Examples
- Wells, Maine: 180-day moratorium on large data centers.
- Several Ohio cities banned sites over 25 MW; El Dorado, Kansas banned peaks over 10 MW for 10 years.
- Texas: Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa backs a statewide moratorium; Senate winner James Talarico stressed environmental and cost burdens.
- Across states, winners promised ending tax breaks or pauses even when they stopped short of full bans.
Why it matters
AI infrastructure growth now faces denser state and local friction. Midterms are not a single federal statute, but they raise the political cost of hyperscale campuses and grid upgrades.
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