A wave of public protests against the data-centre construction boom\nis now threatening the political landscape in the United States. Voters\nin 10 states are preparing to decide the fate of the artificial\nintelligence (AI) industry on the upcoming Election Day.<\/p>\n
A Reuters report said mounting opposition, spreading from Democrats\nto Republicans, could derail data-centre projects worth billions of US\ndollars.<\/p>\n
The situation has left local and federal governments in a difficult\nposition. On the one hand, they want to promote the growth of the\ndigital economy; on the other, they risk losing constituents\u2019 support\namid concerns over energy and the environment.<\/p>\n
The strongest opposition is in Ohio, one of the fastest-growing\ndata-centre markets in the US. According to data from the non-partisan\nresearch organisation Ballotpedia, voters in more than a dozen Ohio\njurisdictions will consider 21 proposals to restrict data centres\nalongside the midterm elections.<\/p>\n
Across the country, voters in 38 local jurisdictions are due to vote\non at least 41 initiatives to impose restrictions. The new rules could\ndelay projects, ban them outright or tighten permits for facilities that\nprovide computing power for AI.<\/p>\n
\u201cSupport for banning certain data-centre developments comes from both\nDemocratic and Republican voters. We all want the same thing,\u201d said\nJessica Baker, a local campaigner with Conserve Ohio, according to\nReuters on Friday (30 October 2026).<\/p>\n
Concerns over electricity, water and children\u2019s\nhealth<\/strong><\/p>\n The cross-party opposition is driven by widespread concerns about the\nenormous electricity demand and water consumption of data centres.\nResidents fear the facilities could trigger local energy shortages,\nraise electricity bills and harm children\u2019s health, including by\nincreasing the risk of asthma.<\/p>\n The political threat from voters has put major technology projects at\nrisk. In Sunbury, Ohio, a proposed measure to ban data centres with a\ncapacity above 25 megawatts threatens the future of Amazon\u2019s US$2\nbillion (around Rp36 trillion) data-centre project.<\/p>\n In an effort to calm residents\u2019 anger and secure the project,\nAmazon\u2019s head of public policy, Shannon Kellogg, appeared on local\ntelevision to explain the company\u2019s position ahead of the vote.<\/p>\n Industry continues to forge ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite the political threat and the prospect of tighter regulations,\ndata-centre construction capacity in the US rose by 48% between December\n2025 and June 2026, according to real-estate firm Cushman &\nWakefield.<\/p>\n Analysts say that if local governments yield to public pressure and\nintroduce restrictions, technology giants are unlikely to halt their\nexpansion. Instead, they are expected to redirect investment to areas\nwith more favourable regulations.<\/p>\n However, with the national electricity grid under strain and\nconstruction costs rising, widespread local opposition on Election Day\ncould deal a serious blow to US ambitions to lead the global AI\nrace.<\/p>",
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