🔍 Read the full analysis: A Closer Look At Local Voters’ Decisions On Data Centers on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
A public tracker counted 47 local data center measures on Nov. 3 ballots across 10 states. As of Nov. 5, unofficial results showed the restrictive side leading in 46; the measures ranged from outright bans to advisory questions, and six counts were still underway.
Local data center restrictions were winning or leading in 46 of 47 measures on Nov. 3 ballots across 10 states, according to the Data Centers on the Ballot tracker. The results were still unofficial on Nov. 5, and the measures asked voters to decide a range of questions—not a single nationwide choice about data centers.
The tracker, maintained by polling and data firm Redbud Consulting, showed all 47 measures with results posted by 12:30 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 5. It classified outcomes as “Restrict” or “Allow” to group differently worded ballot questions. Of the results, 41 counts were complete and six were still being counted. The tracker said none of the results was certified.
Its tally represented 260,177 votes, with 72.8% on the restrictive side, according to the source material. That figure combines votes across distinct local questions; it does not mean that 72.8% of voters nationwide opposed data centers. The one measure where the tracker showed the restrictive side behind was in Harwood, North Dakota, where voters considered review rules for large projects.
The number of measures reported changed as counts and listings were updated. The tracker showed 45 measures on the morning of Nov. 4, with results for 40, then added a Belvidere, New Jersey, advisory question and a Piqua, Ohio, charter amendment. Ballotpedia had listed 41 measures before the election, using a different count. The source attributes the difference partly to how town questions in Maine, Kansas and New Jersey were counted.
Seven results were checked against official election sites in Kansas, Nevada, Florida and North Dakota, and matched the tracker, according to the source. Examples include Boulder City, Nevada, where voters rejected a proposal to allow data centers on city-owned desert land, 4,947 to 2,064; and Edgewater, Florida, where a charter ban on new data centers passed, 7,875 to 2,328. These figures were unofficial. The source says the remaining results, including Ohio, were taken from the tracker and linked local reporting; the Tribune Chronicle reported Hubbard’s ban passed by 76% to 24%.
Infographic 01 · Data centers on the ballot
Where “45 measures” comes from
One public tracker did the counting. Its numbers grew as results and late additions came in. We checked seven results against official election sites.
local ballot measures on data centers went against them on unofficial counts, 5 Nov 2026, 12:30 p.m. ET. The one exception: Harwood, North Dakota.
- 3 NovBallotpedia: 41 measuresListed before the vote · 10 states
- 4 Nov, 6:16 a.m.Tracker: 45 measures40 with results · 39 against data centers, 1 for
- 4 NovHeadlines: “45 measures”33 won, 6 leading, 1 lost, 5 not reported
- 5 Nov, 12:30 p.m.Tracker: 47 measuresAll with results · 46 against, 1 for · 6 still counting
- Emporia, KSban over 10 MW · Lyon County4,346 : 2,891
- Americus, KSban · Lyon County274 : 127
- El Dorado, KSten-year ban · Butler County2,972 : 1,183
- Ottawa, KSban over 25 MW · Franklin County2,882 : 1,129
- Edgewater, FLcharter ban · Volusia County7,875 : 2,328
- Boulder City, NVallow data centers? · Clark County2,064 : 4,947
- Harwood, NDreview rules · ND Secretary of State105 : 325
Yes : No, unofficial. All seven match the tracker to the vote.
- Ballotpedia lists 4 Maine measures, the tracker 8; Kansas 3 vs 4; New Jersey 1 vs 2. That is the gap from 41 to 47.
- The tracker added Belvidere (NJ) and Piqua (OH) after the first reports, so 45 became 47.
- 404 Media’s “40+ races in 13 states” also counts recalls and candidate races.
- Wilmington, Ohio alone accounts for 4 measures: one vote per rezoned parcel.
Sources: Data Centers on the Ballot (Redbud Consulting), 5 Nov 2026, 12:30 p.m. ET · Ballotpedia, 3 Nov 2026 · official results of Lyon, Butler and Franklin County (KS), Volusia County (FL), Clark County (NV), North Dakota Secretary of State. Nothing is certified yet.
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Local Votes Shape Project Rules
The results point to local consent as a potential siting risk for data center developers. A restrictive vote can block a particular project, limit its size, pause approvals or require a public vote before development, depending on the measure. The tracker’s tally is a useful snapshot of local decisions, but it does not establish a uniform policy across the 10 states.
For residents, the measures put disputes over land use and infrastructure directly before voters. The source describes water use and energy demand as common concerns among opponents, while supporters cite jobs and tax revenue. Ballot language in some communities specified limits in megawatts or gallons per day. Those are reported positions and topics of debate, not findings that every proposed facility would have the same effects.
The outcome may matter most to future projects. The source says many votes targeted proposed development rather than campuses already under construction. The practical effect will depend on each measure’s wording, legal status and application to pending proposals.
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One Label, Different Ballot Questions
The phrase “voters rejected data centers” compresses several kinds of decisions. The source counts 37 binding measures and 10 advisory questions. Binding measures included outright bans, caps—often 25 megawatts—temporary moratoriums, zoning referendums and rules requiring voter approval. Advisory questions express voters’ views but do not themselves make the same kind of binding change.
Examples show the range. Hubbard, Ohio, asked whether to ban data centers of any size within city limits. Boulder City’s Question 1 asked whether the city could make desert land available for data centers; a “no” vote rejected that proposal, rather than imposing a general ban on all facilities. In Harwood, voters considered review rules for large projects, and the restrictive side was the lone one behind in the tracker’s tally.
The tracker’s categories help summarize results but do not make the ballot questions equivalent. Its figures also reflect the status of counts on a particular date. The source reports that seven results were independently matched to official election sites, while it relied on the tracker and local reporting for the rest.
““Restrict” and “Allow””
— Data Centers on the Ballot tracker
Counts and Legal Effects Remain Open
Certification is pending, and six measures were still being counted as of the tracker’s Nov. 5 update. The source says 41 counts were complete for election night, but does not identify in the supplied material which six remained under count. Totals and leads could change before final results are certified.
The overall tally also depends on which ballot questions are included and how each is classified. The source says Ballotpedia counted 41 measures while the tracker listed 47, and another report counted more than 40 races across 13 states using a broader definition that included recalls and candidate races. These figures should not be treated as directly interchangeable.
The material does not provide the full text and legal analysis of every measure, nor a complete account of how each outcome affects existing permits, pending applications or projects under construction. It also does not establish that every restrictive vote will prevent a data center from being built. Those effects depend on local law, the measure’s wording and any later administrative or court action.
Certification and Local Implementation
The next milestones are completion and certification of local counts. Until election officials certify results, the tracker’s totals remain provisional. Readers and project stakeholders will need to consult county or state election offices for final figures and the official text of each measure.
After certification, local governments will have to apply binding outcomes under their own rules. That may mean enforcing a ban or cap, observing a moratorium, revisiting zoning, or setting a process for a future public vote. Advisory questions may inform local debate without changing policy on their own. The source material does not specify implementation dates for the individual measures.
For proposed facilities, the relevant next step will be project-by-project review: whether a vote applies to the site, what approvals remain, and whether the measure affects an existing or future development. The broad result is clear as an unofficial snapshot; the final count and consequences in each community are still to be established.
Key Questions
How many local data center measures were on the Nov. 3 ballot?
The Data Centers on the Ballot tracker listed 47 measures across 10 states as of Nov. 5. Other counts differed because organizations used different inclusion criteria.
Did voters oppose data centers in 46 places?
Not in one uniform sense. The tracker classified the restrictive side as winning or leading in 46 of 47 measures, but the questions ranged from outright bans to advisory votes and project-specific land or zoning decisions.
Were the results final?
No. The tracker said results were unofficial; 41 counts were complete for election night and six were still being counted as of its Nov. 5 update.
What was the exception to the restrictive trend?
Harwood, North Dakota, was the one measure where the tracker showed the restrictive side behind. Voters there considered review rules for large projects.
Do the votes stop all data center construction?
Not necessarily. The effect depends on each measure. Some addressed future projects, and advisory questions do not have the same direct legal effect as binding bans, caps or zoning decisions.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
