Voters Back Data Centre Restrictions in Midterms as Democratic Governors Pledge Crackdown
Written by AI from wsls.com's report. Not checked by a person.
Americans voted to restrict AI data centres in 44 of 45 completed ballot measures across 12 states in the 2026 midterms, as newly elected Democratic governors in Texas, Ohio and Wisconsin pledged moratoriums or strong new limits on construction.
The 2026 US midterm elections dealt a significant blow to the AI data centre industry. Voters approved restrictions in 44 of 45 completed ballot measures, drawn from 47 referendums tracked across 44 municipalities in 12 states. Democrats, who outspent Republicans on data centre advertising by more than three to one, helped drive campaigns that collectively spent more than $380 million on television ads mentioning data centres.
Democrats flipped at least five governorships and took full control of state governments in five additional states. Of the 34 gubernatorial winners tracked by Data Center Watch, 32 support stronger regulation or restrictions, and 12 back outright bans or moratoriums. Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, who defeated incumbent Republican Greg Abbott, has said she would block permits for projects that did not benefit Texans or lacked community input. Ohio Governor-elect Dr Amy Acton pledged to block projects that fail to meet certain standards, while Wisconsin Governor-elect David Crowley said he supports a moratorium and wants to abolish the state's sales tax exemption for data centre operators. In Texas, Clayton Tucker, the first Democrat elected state agriculture commissioner since 1986, credited his opposition to data centre development as critical to his win.
About three-quarters of US voters oppose data centre construction in their communities, according to The AP Voter Poll, though only roughly one in four said the issue was crucial to their congressional vote. Morgan Stanley warned that the results could effectively split the country into areas open to new data centres and those closed to them. The Data Center Coalition acknowledged that incoming officials will want to deliver on moratorium promises, cautioning that real-world consequences — including lost tax revenue for host communities — could follow.
