AI boom meets ballot backlash: 10 US states to vote on data center restrictions

The votes of 10 US states will decide on Tuesday (Nov 3) if curbing data centre development in their communities is needed to power the AI boom, as growing local resistance meets the need, news agency Reuters reported. Ohio, one of the country's fastest-growing data centre markets, is the focal point. Ballotpedia, a non-partisan research group, says no state has more related measures: 21 proposals in more than a dozen jurisdictions will appear on the ballot.

Nationwide, voters in 38 local jurisdictions will consider at least 41 measures to delay, prohibit or tighten requirements on data centres, the large facilities that supply computing power for AI applications. Most states require petition drives or other proof of public support to qualify a measure, so the tally reflects opposition across the political spectrum.

Jessica Baker, an organiser with the advocacy group Conserve Ohio, told Reuters that Democrats and Republicans alike back bans on certain facilities. "We all want the same thing," she said. Worries about electricity and water use are driving the push, she said. Even if developers generate their own power through gas turbines or nuclear reactors, many residents do not want the sites nearby, fearing health risks to children such as asthma.

Restrictions in Ohio would more likely redirect projects than end them, Baron Fung, who oversees IT infrastructure research at Dell'Oro Group told Reuters. Developers could shift demand to other sites, he said. The industry already contends with years-long waits for grid connections and rising construction costs.

Growth suggests local opposition has not meaningfully slowed the sector. John McWilliams, head of data centre insights at Cushman & Wakefield, said US capacity under construction rose 48 per cent, measured in gigawatts, from December 2025 to June 2026. Projects are still moving forward in areas without friction, he said.

In Sunbury, near Columbus, a measure banning data centres that use more than 25 megawatts could derail Amazon's proposed US$2 billion project. Amazon public policy lead Shannon Kellogg appeared on local television in October to answer questions ahead of the vote.

In the same report, an Amazon spokesperson declined to say whether the measures would affect expansion plans. The spokesperson said the company wants to build facilities that support jobs and generate millions in tax payments, and that its commitment to host communities will not change regardless of any single outcome.