US states reject data center proposals in ballot votes; OpenAI pledges to bear electricity costs itself
Of 41 local ballot proposals across 10 US states, only one won voter support; the rest backed restricting data centers or rejecting development proposals. OpenAI subsequently released a policy platform pledging to bear data center electricity costs itself and protect electricity ratepayers. Global affairs chief Chris Lehane said the platform had been in preparation since August and that the company had met with dozens of lawmakers and candidates. In February this year, OpenAI told investors it aims to invest a cumulative total of about $600 billion in computing power by 2030.
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Election results show that data center siting is becoming a local ballot issue, and OpenAI's electricity cost pledge offers a concrete way for companies to respond to this kind of public pressure.
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks at Oracle AI World in Las Vegas on October 27, 2026
“This framework essentially distills the best practices we have accumulated, and commits to follow-through on implementation,” Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s head of global affairs, said at a media briefing on Wednesday. “It helps set a very high baseline standard for how the industry operates going forward.”
On Tuesday, U.S. voters cast strong votes against data centers at the ballot box. According to Ballotpedia data and election results compiled on Wednesday: of 41 local ballot measures across 10 states nationwide, only one measure won voter support; on the rest, voters either supported imposing restrictions on data centers or rejected development-friendly proposals.
This summer, opposition to AI data centers emerged in both U.S. party camps. Ordinary people troubled by inflation, rising food prices, and persistently high gasoline prices worry that such facilities will worsen environmental damage, drive up utility bills, and cause job losses. In the eyes of many, data centers have become the concrete real-world embodiment of widespread public dislike of and anxiety about artificial intelligence.
AI companies such as OpenAI rely on data centers to serve users and develop new models, and are striving to rapidly expand computing facilities to meet market demand. The company told investors in February that it aims to reach cumulative computing investment of about $600 billion by 2030. Since then, OpenAI has successively announced two mega data center projects, in Effingham County and PORTS-Pike.
This year OpenAI has repeatedly pledged to protect electricity ratepayers and invest in local communities. Lehane said the latest commitment further improves on a number of previous initiatives. The policy framework has been in preparation since August, and since then he has held talks with dozens of lawmakers and candidates for office.
“Carrying out these communications now can further advance the work. By the time the new Congress officially convenes and gets to work in late January, a great deal of preparatory work will already be done,” Lehane said.