On 3 November 2026, the US midterm elections also included local votes on data centers, and voters rejected them almost everywhere. Semafor says residents of more than 30 localities in nine states voted for moratoriums, outright bans or other limits. Fortune counts 41 data center measures nationwide, 21 of them in Ohio, and says at least 14 Ohio municipalities passed bans or restrictions. Euronews puts that Ohio figure at 15. All results are unofficial until they are certified.
Amazon Web Services: in Trenton, Ohio, a ban passed by about 80% to 20%. Fortune says it is aimed at keeping out an 18-building AWS data center, but is unlikely to affect a four-building AWS campus that is already under construction nearby. In Sunbury, a charter amendment banning data centers of 25 megawatts or more appears to have passed. Residents there were worried about a possible hyperscale Amazon project, and its future is unclear.
Meta: in Piqua, Ohio, where Meta plans a data center on about 607 acres, voters approved a charter ban on data centers with a load above 25 megawatts by 66.70% to 33.30%. In a separate vote they also recalled the mayor and two commissioners who had supported the project. The city had already signed development and utility agreements, and the Dayton Daily News says it is not clear whether the ban blocks Meta's project. Results there are due to be certified by 24 November. In Ashville, voters rejected the village's agreement with developer EdgeConneX for two data center buildings on 195 acres.
Why it matters: Euronews cites an NBC exit poll in which more than half of voters said AI and data centers were a "crucial or a major factor" in how they voted. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott lost to Democrat Gina Hinojosa, who had pledged a temporary halt to new data center construction. Semafor reports that banks and asset managers now treat local opposition as a credit risk. Heather West of Eurasia Group told Euronews that projects already permitted "will largely proceed" and that the main effect will be slower permits and more local fights over the next wave. Investor Jim Bianco told CNBC that the ballot measures are "non-binding", but said politicians will heed the message.
