{
  "id": 18358356,
  "title": "Voters Supported Every Single Anti-Data Center Proposal in America, Except One",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/05/voters-supported-every-single-anti-data-center-proposal-in-america",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-05T19:01:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Futurism",
    "slug": "futurism",
    "url": "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/voters-midterm-elections-data-center-ballot-america"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a recent US election, data center developers faced significant setbacks, with anti-data center ballot measures passing in 40 out of 41 proposed measures across 10 states. Ohio alone accounted for 21 of these proposals, all of which were voted down by voters. The only exception was a measure in Harwood, North Dakota, where citizens rejected a proposal to add an additional review stage to data center zoning procedures. Anti-data center candidates fared well, with Democrats making gains in key states like Nevada, Ohio, Texas, and Georgia by running on anti-data center platforms. However, the success of these candidates was not solely due to their anti-data center stance, as seen in Texas where incumbent Greg Abbott, who had previously taken a pro-data center stance, did not secure a Republican win. The results suggest that voters preferred candidates perceived as having integrity in opposing big tech interests, rather than those who simply adopted an anti-data center message. This outcome represents a significant defeat for the tech industry, which had invested heavily in influencing election outcomes. In fact, Elon Musk alone spent nearly $450 million in support of Republican efforts, a strategy that ultimately backfired. According to a CNBC voter exit poll, 56% of voters cited data centers as a \"crucial\" or \"major\" factor in their voting decisions. The Democratic party, generally more adversarial towards big tech, is likely to capitalize on this data center backlash in the coming years. With no viable path for big tech to advance their data center agenda through elections, developers may turn to legal loopholes and target communities less able to resist in the future.",
  "summary": "\"The revolt against data centers was one of the top issues of the 2026 election.\" The post Voters Supported Every Single Anti-Data Center Proposal in America, Except One appeared first on Futurism .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}