The story behind the cartoon
Voters in 10 states will decide on Election Day whether to curb data-center development in their communities, with at least 41 measures across 38 local jurisdictions that would delay, prohibit, or impose new requirements on the facilities powering the AI boom. Ohio leads the backlash with 21 proposals in more than a dozen jurisdictions, according to Ballotpedia figures cited in the report.
The opposition crosses party lines, driven by worries about electricity and water demands and health fears for children living nearby, including asthma. Most measures reached the ballot only after petition drives, a sign of how organized the resistance has become — while developers, whose capacity under construction still rose 48% from December 2025 to June 2026, are expected to shift projects to friendlier sites rather than abandon them.
The stakes are concrete in Sunbury, near Columbus, where a measure capping data centers above 25 megawatts could derail Amazon's proposed $2 billion development. Amazon's policy lead went on local television to defend the project, while a spokesperson declined to say whether the votes would change the company's expansion plans.
The joke is the smallest bouncer in America: one voter at a folding table, holding up a single ballot like a stop sign, facing down a data center so big it arrived on wheels. The building has cooling towers, fans, and a water hose — and none of it matters, because the ballot is the only thing standing between it and Riverdale.
STILL NOT GREAT
THE METER IS NOT THE WORK
AI MADE SEVEN COMPANIES RICH. THE OTHER 493 GOT THE BILL.
THE WELCOME MAT