US Midterm Voters Reject Data Center Expansion in Most Ballot Measures
The 2026 midterm elections signaled a significant political roadblock for the artificial intelligence infrastructure boom, as voters across 10 states rejected or restricted data center development in nearly all 41 local ballot measures. The only exception was Harwood, North Dakota, where voters defeated an amendment that would have added regulatory hurdles to industrial developments. The backlash had profound implications for key tech hubs, particularly in Ohio and Texas. In Ohio, Democratic victories coincided with anti-data center sentiment, threatening massive projects like the OpenAI/SoftBank campus. Similarly, in Texas—a state projected to be the world's largest data center market by 2030—the unseating of Governor Greg Abbott on a platform targeting rapid tech expansion highlights increasing political risk for hyperscalers and chipmakers.
Topics: AI Infrastructure Data Center Expansion Election Results Land Use Legislation Political Risk