41 ballot measures take aim at the data-center boom

Voters in 10 states will decide on Election Day whether to curb data-center development in their communities, as the buildout powering the AI boom stirs local opposition. At least 41 measures across 38 local jurisdictions would delay, prohibit or impose new requirements on data centers, and 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 by health fears for children living nearby, including asthma — concerns voiced by Conserve Ohio organizer Jessica Baker, who said residents do not want the facilities near their communities even when developers generate their own power. Most measures reached the ballot only after petition drives, a sign of how organized the resistance has become.

The industry is not exactly retreating: U.S. data-center capacity under construction rose 48% from December 2025 to June 2026, and analysts expect developers to shift projects to friendlier sites rather than abandon them. But one Sunbury measure near Columbus, capping data centers above 25 megawatts, could derail Amazon's proposed $2 billion development — Amazon's policy lead went on local television to defend it, while a spokesperson declined to say whether the votes would change the company's expansion plans.