Voters rejected data centers in all but one of 41 local ballot measures, but outlets disagree on the count

Voters across the country turned down data centers at the ballot box on Tuesday, but the headline number depends on which outlet you read. Fox Business reported that voters in at least 10 states backed restrictions or rejected pro-development measures in all but one of 41 local ballot measures, citing an analysis by Ballotpedia and results compiled by CNBC. The New York Post, also citing Ballotpedia, counted at least 50 measures, with voters siding against data centers in 47, three still undecided on Wednesday afternoon, and one favorable result.

Why the counts differ

Neither outlet explains the gap, and we could not reach Ballotpedia's tally directly this morning, so treat the exact total as unsettled. Plausible reasons are different cut-off times for unofficial results and whether measures that merely touch industrial zoning are counted, but that is our inference, not something either outlet states. Fox adds that The Washington Post separately reported voters in at least 38 jurisdictions passed measures limiting or blocking data centers. All three counts point the same way, which is the part that holds up.

The one favorable result is also described differently. The Post says it came in Harwood, North Dakota, where voters rejected a measure that would have added review requirements for industrial sites including data centers.

Margins, not just direction

Fox listed unofficial results from Ohio, the biggest battleground. Defiance approved a charter amendment restricting data center construction 64.73% to 35.27%. Pataskala passed one 73.62% to 26.38%, Granville 82.45% to 17.55%, and Ashville rejected a data center referendum with 81.61% voting against. Our earlier story covers the Ohio measures and the Texas and Georgia governors' races in detail.

Opposition was already hurting projects. Fox, citing S&P Global figures reported by The Washington Post, said more than 145 data center projects were delayed or canceled nationwide through early August, with public opposition behind most of them. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll taken before the election found seven in 10 Americans, including a majority of Republicans, opposed new data center construction in their communities.

Who it hits

A local developer or utility planning a campus now faces voters directly in places that allow referendums, and charter amendments of the kind passed in Ohio can be hard to reverse. Electricians, HVAC contractors and concrete suppliers who staffed on the assumption of steady campus construction are exposed to project delays, not just cancellations. Landowners holding options for data center sites are in the same position.

Washington is the next stage. The Post quoted Raymond James policy analyst Ed Mills saying members of the new Congress are likely to adopt a position voters support overwhelmingly, and Rep. Greg Casar wrote on X that AI company CEOs should be called to testify under oath. Elon Musk wrote on X, "Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now."

One caution on reading too much into it: Fox, citing the Post's election-day poll, said 56% of voters called AI and data centers a major or crucial factor, yet it ranked last among five issues, behind government corruption, the war in Iran and the cost of living.

Sources: Fox Business and the New York Post (both citing Ballotpedia), CNBC and The Washington Post as cited by Fox; Oracle chart data from Yahoo Finance. Election results are unofficial. This is market information, not investment advice.