What's happened
Voters in multiple states have rejected data-center measures, with Harwood, North Dakota, the lone exception. Ohio features the largest cluster of measures, shaping the political debate ahead of Congress and state leadership changes.
What's behind the headline?
Analysis
- Data-center opposition has become a bipartisan issue as communities weigh electricity costs and environmental impact against economic benefits.
- Ohio’s 21 measures form a testing ground for possible state-level moratoria or stricter review processes that could influence federal policy.
- The election results will likely prompt renewed scrutiny of hyperscale investments from major firms like OpenAI, Meta, Google and Nvidia as campaigns frame centers as economic engines versus cost concerns.
- Expect policymakers to push for more transparent power-grid planning and potential union-labor preferences in future projects.
How we got here
Ballot measures across 10 states show voters pushing back on data-center growth amid concerns about energy costs, grid capacity and local impact. Ohio leads with 21 measures, while Harwood, North Dakota, is the notable exception. National coverage links the results to broader debates about AI infrastructure and governance.
Our analysis
- New York Post reports on statewide ballot outcomes and quotes from Ray Mills of Raymond James; - CNBC’s analysis of Ballotpedia results and Ohio’s role in the data-center debate; - CNBC coverage of OpenAI’s Ohio project plans and state political shifts; - Ballotpedia data compilation on local measures.
Go deeper
- What impact will Ohio’s ballot measures have on federal data-center policy?
- Which states are most likely to follow Ohio’s lead in regulating data centers?
- How might this affect energy costs for households in the near term?
More on these topics
-
Ohio - US State
Ohio is a state in the East North Central region of the Midwestern United States. Of the fifty states, it is the 34th largest by area, the seventh most populous, and the tenth most densely populated. The state's capital and largest city is Columbus.
-
Ballotpedia.com - Website
Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers American federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy. Written by a staff of researchers and writers, the website was founded in 2007.
-
North Dakota - US State
North Dakota is a U.S. state in the midwestern and northern regions of the United States. It is the nineteenth largest in area, the fourth smallest by population, and the fourth most sparsely populated of the 50 states.
-
Gregory W. Abbott - Governor of Texas
Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ABB-ət; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party, he served from 2002 to 2015 as the 50th attorney general...
-
Jon Husted - Former Secretary of State of Ohio
Jon A. Husted is the 66th and current lieutenant governor of Ohio, since 2019. He was previously the 53rd Ohio Secretary of State.
-
Gina Hinojosa - American lawyer and politician, Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives
Regina Inez Hinojosa (born December 8, 1973) is an American lawyer and politician who is a member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing the 49th district. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Hinojosa was sworn into the Texas House on January 10, 2017, after winning the November 2016 general election. She succeeded Democrat Elliott Naishtat, who did not run for re-election. Before becoming a state legislator, Hinojosa worked for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and for the law firm of Kator, Parks & Weiser. In 2005, she was part of the legal team that sued U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. She was also a member of the Austin Independent School District's school board and has worked part-time for Catholic Charities USA, Texas Rural Legal Aid, and the Equal Justice Center. On October 15, 2025, Hinojosa announced her candidacy for governor in the 2026 Texas gubernatorial election. Hinojosa won the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026, and will compete against incumbent Republican governor Greg Abbott.
-
Greg Casar - Politician
Gregorio "Greg" Casar is a Texas politician currently serving in the Austin City Council for District 4 since January 6, 2015. Casar is the youngest elected Austin City Council Member and a member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of A
-
Texas - US State
Texas is a state in the South Central Region of the United States. It is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population.
-
Sherrod Brown - United States Senator
Sherrod Campbell Brown is an American politician who is the senior United States Senator from Ohio, first elected in 2006. A Democrat, he previously represented Ohio's 13th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.
-
OpenAI - Artificial intelligence company
OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research laboratory consisting of the for-profit corporation OpenAI LP and its parent company, the non-profit OpenAI Inc.
-
New York Post - Newspaper
The New York Post is a daily newspaper in New York City. The Post also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com and the entertainment site Decider.com. The modern version of the paper is published in tabloid format.