US Voters Back AI Data Center Restrictions in At Least 29 Communities

What it claims

Decrypt, citing The Washington Post, reports that voters in at least 29 US jurisdictions backed data-center bans or restrictions on 3 November 2026. Candidates who favour moratoriums also won governor races in Texas and Ohio. Opposition centres on electricity demand and its effect on utility bills and grid capacity. Opponents also cite water use, noise and deals made without public scrutiny.

Evidence

Ballotpedia tracked 41 data-center measures in 10 states. Of these, 28 were framed so that a yes vote curbs development. The other 13 would permit or support projects, so a no vote on one of them also counts against developers.

Margins reported by locality:

• Ohio: all 10 charter measures backed by the grassroots group Conserve Ohio passed. More than three-quarters of voters in Hubbard supported a ban. Granville, Trenton and Sunbury passed restrictions with roughly 78% to 82% support.
• Joliet Township, Illinois: nearly 80% rejected an advisory proposal supporting AI data centers.
• Janesville, Wisconsin: more than 60% approved a requirement for another public vote before major development at a former General Motors site linked to a proposed data center.

At state level, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in Texas after campaigning for a moratorium on new projects. Ohio governor-elect Amy Acton supports a pause and stricter rules. The article says these wins could bring tougher statewide rules, but that is a forecast, not an enacted policy.

Industry response is also described. Some AI companies are increasing lobbying, and OpenAI has tried to rebrand data centers as "compute campuses." BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said in October 2026: "If we have a moratorium of some sort in this country, we will be in a recession."

Limits

Some measures were nonbinding advisory votes, and their passage does not stop construction automatically. The article does not say which of the 29 results are binding. It also does not list all jurisdictions, give turnout, or describe what each restriction requires, such as zoning, power or water terms. The figures come second-hand from The Washington Post and Ballotpedia, and the results are one day old at publication.