Voters in 2026 midterms back data center restrictions: 33 of 45 local ballot measures restrict development, and moratorium-favoring candidates win key races

On 3 November 2026, voters decided 45 local ballot measures on data centres. As of Wednesday morning, 33 of the results restrict development. Examples include a 180-day moratorium in Wells, Maine, bans on sites over 25MW in some Ohio cities, and a 10-year ban on sites over 10MW in El Dorado, Kansas. Candidates who backed moratoriums also won office, including Gina Hinojosa (Texas governor-elect) and Abdul El-Sayed (Michigan Senate-elect). An NBC News exit poll reportedly found 76% of voters oppose data centres in their own communities. No statewide or federal law has changed yet.

Data centre developers, and the AI companies that rely on them, face a harder local permitting environment, especially for large sites in the places named. Utilities, investors and anyone planning capacity should expect more delays, tighter size caps and more political risk when choosing sites. The effect is patchy, because each measure is local and many are modest in scale. Winning candidates may come under pressure to act, but nothing binding has been announced at state level.

The headline claim that data centres "lost the midterms" overreaches: the article itself concedes it is hard to link backlash to any candidate's win, and other winners backed only lighter limits. The tally of 33 of 45 comes from a consultancy count and early results, with no primary documents linked, so treat it as provisional. We also don't know how representative these 45 measures are, since towns that put such a vote on the ballot are probably already sceptical.

1. 01Final certified results for the 45 measures, and whether the 33 restrictive outcomes hold once counting finishes
2. 02Whether any state legislature or governor (Texas, Michigan, Ohio) moves a statewide moratorium or siting rule, with dates and bill text, in the next few months
3. 03Whether developers cancel, relocate or delay specific projects in the affected towns, and whether large operators change capex or site plans in upcoming earnings calls