US midterms bring data center limits as voters back building restrictions in local referendums

Data centers lost the midterms

Voters in several US states passed referendums restricting data center construction and elected candidates who back development pauses, tightening the environment for builders. As of Wednesday morning, 33 of 45 local referendums on the ballot would limit development. An NBC News election-day poll found 76% of voters opposed a data center in their community.

Why it matters: Voters in multiple US localities passed referendums limiting data centers and elected candidates who support pausing construction, adding local approval hurdles to AI infrastructure expansion.