Data center developers are poised to face a more restrictive building environment after voters across the country chose candidates who favor moratoriums and ballot measures that add obstacles to their expansion, dealing a blow to a central pillar of the artificial intelligence industry. According to an Election Day poll by NBC News, 76 percent of voters opposed data centers in their communities, while dozens of local communities voted directly to restrict development through ballot measures.
Local Ballot Measures and Regional Races
Voters faced questions about data centers directly in 45 local ballot measures nationwide. According to a site compiled by Redbud Consulting, the results of 33 of those measures will restrict data center development. The Town of Wells, Maine, favored a 180-day moratorium on large data centers backdated to mid-June 2026. Several cities in Ohio voted to ban data centers over 25MW, and the City of El Dorado, Kansas, voted to ban data centers with peak electrical loads over 10MW for 10 years.
In Texas, Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa won the governor’s seat from Republican incumbent Greg Abbott, marking a major Democratic flip in a state with the second-highest number of planned data centers. Hinojosa supports a statewide moratorium on data center development, whereas Abbott took a measured approach by announcing an audit on data centers that could slow new connections to the state energy grid. In a Senate race, Democratic State Rep. James Talarico flipped the seat against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, with both candidates aiming to remove tax exemptions for data centers and make them responsible for their own energy infrastructure costs, while Talarico emphasized environmental impact and public profit sharing.
Florida Republican congressman Byron Donalds won the governor’s seat over Democratic former congressman David Jolly. Donalds opposed an outright ban, while Jolly advocated barring hyperscalers for a year on day one in office. Donalds previously introduced the Protecting Ratepayers Act in Congress to make developers pay for their own energy and water needs. In Pennsylvania, Democratic incumbent Governor Josh Shapiro held onto his seat against Republican challenger Stacy Garrity, with both candidates tightening their stances as the race progressed. Shapiro signed an executive order barring nondisclosure agreements for data center developments and removed AI data center proposals from the fast track, while Garrity supported a development pause of up to three years.
Senate and Gubernatorial Contests Nationwide
Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown won back his former Senate seat from Republican incumbent Jon Husted, whom Brown labeled the face of data centers. While Brown has not called for a moratorium, he stated that developers should not receive tax breaks or approvals without local input. In Michigan, Democratic former public health official Abdul El-Sayed won the Senate race over Republican Mike Rogers, having previously called for a pause on new developments until they can proceed safely and with federal protections. Maine Democrat Troy Jackson ousted Republican Sen. Susan Collins from her Senate seat, supporting a state moratorium, while Collins opposed such a measure but called for local control and protection for energy ratepayers.
Wisconsin Democratic Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley won the governor’s race over Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany, with neither favoring a moratorium and both distancing themselves from previous support. In Nevada, Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford successfully flipped the governor’s seat from incumbent Republican Joe Lombardo, whom he branded data center Joe, and now supports a pause on all tax breaks for new data centers. Georgia Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the governor’s seat over Republican Rick Jackson, favoring a moratorium to review environmental and cost effects.
Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs defended her seat against Republican Rep. Andy Biggs, with both opposing a moratorium in favor of power and water use standards. However, Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes held onto her seat by endorsing a state moratorium, while her challenger Warren Petersen opposed one. Iowa Democratic state auditor Rob Sand won the governor’s seat over Republican Zach Lahn, opposing a moratorium that Lahn favored, though both agreed on ending tax development tax breaks. In South Carolina, Democratic pediatrician Annie Andrews flipped a Senate seat in a race against Republican Darline Graham, supporting a two-year data center moratorium while Graham opposed a pause.
As election results continued to be processed, remaining races and legislative bodies faced continued pressure to put guardrails in place for data center expansion.
