全美45项数据中心公投39项获通过，AI基建遭遇民意阻击战

Voters expressed their feelings on data centers on Tuesday via ballot measures restricting their development. That rejection comes as public opposition to data centers and fear of AI continues to rise, notes New Street Research. Voters across ten states and 40 localities had the opportunity to approve or reject an estimated 45 ballot measures affecting data center projects and construction. Of those, all but one measure was successful in restricting data centers (either by directly placing bans or limits or through rejecting pro-development measures), with a handful still unsettled as of this writing. The single pro-development measure was in Harwood, North Dakota, where a proposal to add a review of industrial projects, including data centers, failed, according to data from [Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Data_center-related_ballot_measures,_2026). Notably, 21 of all data center-related measures appeared on the ballot in Ohio, where voters also elected Amy Acton as their first Democratic governor in nearly two decades, and sent Sherrod Brown back to the US Senate after he lost his seat in 2024. Acton, who beat Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, supports a conditional moratorium on new data center projects. Brown, who defeated incumbent Republican Senator John Husted, has opposed large tax breaks for data center projects and criticized Husted's record of support for such projects during the campaign. Opposition to data centers has been increasing in sentiment and policy since before Tuesday's election, with some states pausing projects and passing moratoriums, for example. According to an [analysis](https://www.newstreetresearch.com/research/data-centers-now-a-ballot-box-issue/attachment/) (subscription required) released today from New Street Research, lost revenue from local opposition to data centers in the first half of 2026 neared $200 billion. "AI capex is running at $690-725B in 2026, but local opposition blocked or delayed ~$198B of U.S. data center projects in the first half of 2026 alone. On Nov. 3, data center development restrictions won or led in 39 of 45 local votes," states a note from New Street Research analyst David Barden. That situation doesn't seem likely to shift in favor of data centers soon. According to a tracking poll cited by New Street Research, public opposition to data centers has increased from 42% in August 2025 to 75% in August 2026. Public polling also shows that opposition is bipartisan, with 69% of Democrats opposed, 54% of Republicans and 53% of Independents, with opposition topping 60% "in cities, suburbs, and rural areas alike," noted New Street's analysis. "73% of Americans are worried about increased use of AI (up from 68% in 2023), and 39% say AI is having a negative impact on society vs. 11% a positive one. This gap is widening. Zero of 25 countries surveyed show 'excitement' as the dominant AI sentiment," writes New Street's Barden. "Data center demand is pull-based, not push. Consumers want what comes out of the data center. Like power industry issues to date, throttling data center development leads to higher prices for end-users and revenue (potentially) for data center incumbents. Navigating the thorny reality of cost-benefit trade-offs will distinguish leaders in the industry," writes Barden. Alternatively, if convincing Americans to want data centers in their backyards seems too challenging at this point, you could go the Elon Musk route. The SpaceX CEO, who unsuccessfully [spent over $445 million](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2026/11/elon-musks-445m-spending-spree-tops-2026-midterm-donor-rankings/) trying to secure Republican majorities in Tuesday's elections, and whose company is now headquartered in a [state suddenly known as Blexas](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/11/texas-blue-democrats-win/689278/), used the occasion to re-up his [plan for orbital data centers](https://www.lightreading.com/satellite/musk-s-massive-space-based-data-center-super-scale-or-sheer-folly-).