Voters say no to data centers: restrictions pass in 44 of 45 local referendums

Restrictions on data centers passed in 44 of 45 local referendums held alongside the November 3 US elections, AP reports. Of 34 winning governor candidates, 32 back tighter rules and 12 support bans or moratoriums on construction.

Campaign ads mentioning data centers cost more than $380 million, with Democrats outspending Republicans by more than three to one. About three-quarters of voters oppose a data center in their own community, mainly over rising electricity prices and water use.

The market reacts

Concern that the new Democratic majority will slow AI infrastructure is one reason the Nasdaq fell 5.5 percent on November 5. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the market suffered "one of the Worst Days in History" because of the election: "it wasn't Republicans, it was Dumocrats."