Data Center Expansion Faces Resistance After U.S. Midterm Elections: 76% of Voters Oppose Building Data Centers in Their Communities

On November 5, according to The Verge, U.S. midterm election results indicate greater political resistance to data center expansion. NBC News election-day polling shows that 76% of surveyed voters oppose building data centers in their communities. Nationwide, 45 local referendums involved data center development; as of the morning of November 4, 33 had already passed with results supporting restrictions on data center construction.

Regarding local referendums, the town of Wells in Maine approved a 180-day construction pause for large data centers, while multiple cities in Ohio voted to ban data centers with power capacities exceeding 25 MW. Additionally, Texas governor-elect Gina Hinojosa and Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed both support halting data center development. The report notes that as community opposition grows, data center construction in the United States may face stricter approval processes and regulatory limitations.