At Least 39 Local Data-Center Measures Set Across Eight US States
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Voters in eight US states have faced, or are set to face, at least 39 local ballot measures affecting data-center development. Thirty-five measures are due to be decided in the November 3, 2026 general election, while four were put to voters earlier this year.
- At least 39 local data-center ballot measures are scheduled across eight US states.
- Thirty-five measures are due for decision in the November 3, 2026 general election; four were voted on earlier in the year.
- Proposals range from development bans and voter-approval requirements to zoning restrictions and tax-incentive conditions.
- Grid-cost allocation is a central issue because it can affect interconnection economics for large data-center loads.
- The measures create potential permitting, siting and cost risk, but their ultimate effects depend on voting outcomes and subsequent implementation.
At least 39 local ballot measures related to data-center development have been scheduled across California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin, according to Ballotpedia. Of these, 35 are to be decided in the November 3, 2026 general election; four were brought before voters earlier in the year.
The measures cover a broad range of development controls. They include proposed bans on new data centers, requirements for voter approval, zoning restrictions, conditions attached to tax incentives, and advisory questions supporting construction. Their emergence reflects a widening local-policy debate over data centers’ demands on electricity networks, water resources and land, as well as the treatment of tax incentives and the risk that infrastructure costs could be shifted to residential customers.
For developers, operators and large cloud customers, the issue is not limited to land-use approvals. The allocation of network-upgrade costs could directly alter the economics of new campuses and grid interconnections. In Ohio, Senator Jon Husted is advancing the Ratepayer Protection Act, which is intended to place the costs of required infrastructure on large power consumers, including data centers. Husted has also publicly supported Google and Amazon Web Services projects in the state.
The volume of local measures suggests that political and regulatory risk is becoming a more material consideration in US data-center development. Developers may need to account not only for available power and land, but also for the prospect of local votes, zoning constraints, changes to incentive conditions and revised rules for recovering grid costs. These factors could lengthen project timelines and increase development costs in affected jurisdictions.
The available information does not establish the outcomes of most votes, nor does it quantify the capacity, investment value, specific sites or construction schedules associated with the potentially affected projects.
The ballot measures add a local political and regulatory layer to US data-center site selection. Outcomes could affect siting eligibility, permitting timelines, tax-incentive terms and, critically, the allocation of grid-upgrade costs for large electricity users—potentially raising connection costs and extending development schedules in affected jurisdictions.
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