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According to Ballotpedia statistics, during the U.S. midterm elections on November 4, 2026, of the 41 data center-related referendums, 37 have already been won by the opposition, with 4 still being counted, and not a single one in favor of data centers. heise online reported that in Bloomington, Illinois, about 22,000 people (78%) supported a proposed ban on large data centers, and in Piqua, Ohio, the mayor and two city commissioners who supported a large data center project were recalled, with opposition focused mainly on electricity demand, electricity price impacts, and noise issues. A Hacker News trending report the same day added that voters in more than 30 localities across 9 states voted on data center-related measures, approving restrictive proposals such as moratoriums and outright bans; Edgewater, Florida, wrote a data center ban into its city charter, and Perry, Ohio, imposed financial and operational constraints on hyperscale vendors seeking tax incentives. There have been no subsequent developments so far.
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US midterm election results are in: candidates opposed to data centers win across the boardDevelopments
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Ballotpedia statistics show data center referendums almost all failed
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Nov 5
Wired AI
US midterm election results are in: candidates opposed to data centers win across the board
In the US midterm elections, multiple candidates advocating strict regulation of data centers won, including Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, as well as Democrats Keisha Lance Bottoms and Gina Hinojosa in the Georgia and Texas gubernatorial elections, both of whom advocated a moratorium on data center construction. NBC News exit polls show that nearly a quarter of voters listed data centers as a key factor in their vote, and nearly two-thirds said it was a major or minor factor. In data center referendums in nine states, voters rejected future construction plans and passed moratoriums, with only one county allowing more data center development on the ballot.
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Nov 4
Hacker News Trending
US Voters Reject Data Center Projects in Ballots Across Multiple Locations
US voters in more than 30 localities across 9 states voted on data center-related measures, approving restrictive proposals such as moratoriums and outright bans. In Edgewater, Florida, a data center ban was written into the city charter, while Perry, Ohio, imposed financial and operational constraints on hyperscale firms seeking tax incentives. Reports say that in this election cycle, Democratic candidates in more than 130 federal and gubernatorial races ran anti-tech or anti-data-center ads, and banks and asset managers financing AI infrastructure have begun to treat local opposition as a credit risk.
heise online
US AI data centers face power supply crunch; SpaceX uses retired aircraft engines to power Colossus 2
To bypass the lengthy grid interconnection process, US companies have begun using retired aircraft engines to power AI data centers. SpaceX's AI subsidiary has already installed 8 modified engines in Mississippi to power Colossus 2 in Memphis. According to The New York Times, citing official documents and satellite imagery, ProEnergy says a single engine from a Boeing 747 can output about 50 megawatts, and retired military aircraft engines at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona could generate up to 40,000 megawatts in total. The article also mentions that in Tuesday's elections, all 37 data center-related referendums that had been counted were won by the side supporting a moratorium, a ban, or higher thresholds.
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heise online
Multiple Data Center Referendums in US Midterm Elections Almost All Rejected
During the US midterm elections, voters in many places voted on data center issues. According to Ballotpedia statistics, of 41 ballot measures, 37 have been won by opponents, with 4 still being counted, and not a single one supporting data centers. In Bloomington, Illinois, about 22,000 people (78%) supported a proposal to ban large data centers; in Piqua, Ohio, the mayor and two city commissioners who supported a large data center project were recalled. Opposition is mainly focused on the electricity demand of such facilities, the impact on electricity prices, and noise issues.
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