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AI data centers are creating everything from ChatGPT to Google’s Gemini, but the enormous facilities that make these tools possible are facing increasing resistance across the country.
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, voters in 10 states will decide on 41 local ballots involving data centers, according to Ballotpedia. Twenty-eight measures would restrict development if approved, while 13 would make it easier for projects to move forward.
The votes come as Americans face rising electricity costs and questions about how much power AI infrastructure should consume, who will pay for new energy infrastructure and whether communities will benefit enough from having these facilities nearby.
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For households already struggling with higher utility bills, the debate has become about more than where technology companies will build their next server farm.
Here are the 10 states and what’s at stake:
According to the November 2, 2026 Ballotpedia report, voters in 10 states will decide on 41 local AI data center-related ballots on Election Day, November 3.
- California: 1 Measure: Alhambra voters will decide whether to ban data centers within city limits.
- Florida: 1 Measure: Edgewater voters will consider a ban on new data centers and expansions.
- Illinois: 7 Measures: Voters in Bloomington, Morgan County and several localities consider advisory questions regarding data center construction and restrictions.
- Ohio: 21 Measures: Communities including Sunbury, Defiance and Oregon consider restrictions on data centers, including bans on facilities more than 25 megawatts.
- Kansas: 3 measures: Proposals include restrictions on large data centers, including limits related to electricity and water consumption.
- Maine: 4 Measures: Communities consider temporary moratoriums on data center development.
- Nevada: 1 Measure: Boulder City voters will decide whether to allow data centers in the Eldorado Valley transfer market.
- New Jersey: 1 Measure: Downe Township residents vote on an advisory question about supporting data center development.
- North Dakota: 1 measure: Harwood voters will consider additional industrial development review requirements.
- Wisconsin: 1 measure: A local ballot measure addresses restrictions on data center development.
Why data centers are becoming an election day issue
Data centers are essential to the AI boom. They power cloud storage, streaming services, internet applications and the sophisticated AI systems used by millions of people every day.
But they also require huge amounts of electricity and water to run servers and cooling systems around the clock. A June 2026 report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimated that data centers could account for 11.8% of total US electricity consumption by 2030, with projections ranging from 9.5% to 15.3%.
This growing demand puts pressure on utilities to expand generation capacity, transmission lines and other infrastructure.
And consumers are increasingly concerned about whether they will be asked to help pay for these upgrades.
According to Reuters, residential electricity prices have increased more than 10% nationally since 2024, with increases of more than 20% in Ohio.
Not all of the increase can be attributed to data centers. Rising fuel costs, aging infrastructure and other factors also contribute. But the rapid growth in electricity demand raises questions about how to distribute utility costs between large commercial customers and existing households.
Where voters decide the future of data centers
Ohio is at the center of the debate. According to Ballotpedia, the state provides 21 of the 41 measures that will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Several communities, including Sunbury, Defiance and Oregon, are voting on proposals to ban data centers that consume more than 25 megawatts of electricity.
In Sunbury, the restrictions could affect a proposed $2 billion Amazon data center project, according to Reuters. But the issue goes far beyond Ohio. California voters in Alhambra will decide whether to ban data centers within city limits. In Edgewater, Florida, residents will consider an amendment that would restrict new data center development and expansion.
Several Maine communities will vote on temporary moratoriums, pausing potential projects while local officials establish development rules.
In Illinois, some voters will oversee advisory questions on whether their communities should support or restrict data center construction.
And in New Jersey, Downe Township residents will answer a simple question: Do they support data centers in their community? The New Jersey vote is advisory, meaning it gauges public sentiment rather than directly authorizing or banning construction.
The measures across the country differ significantly. Some would establish outright bans, others would restrict only the largest facilities, and some would impose additional permit requirements. The common thread for all is that more communities have more of a say in how AI infrastructure is built.
Can these voices actually lower your electric bill?
Electricity markets operate across large regions, meaning that power demand in a community can affect costs far beyond its borders. The PJM regional electricity market, for example, serves New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and other states. According to a recent FactCheck.org analysis, independent market monitor PJM identified data centers as the primary driver of higher capacity market prices.
The monitor estimates that data center demand will add billions of dollars in capacity market costs over the current and subsequent supply years.
These costs are shared across the regional electricity market, although the impact on individual household bills varies. Even if a community blocks a new facility, demand from AI companies may shift to another location. Existing infrastructure costs and broader electricity market conditions will remain.
Also, the approval of a project does not automatically mean that household bills will increase. The outcome depends in part on whether utilities and regulators require developers to cover the infrastructure costs their facilities create.
The takeaway
Technology companies and development supporters argue that data centers create construction jobs, generate tax revenue and attract investment. Amazon, which has major expansion plans in Ohio, has emphasized the employment opportunities, economic benefits and technology services associated with its facilities.
Supporters also argue that data centers are necessary to support the digital services that households and businesses depend on, including AI tools that are quickly becoming part of everyday life.
Restrictions, they warn, could move these investments to communities with more favorable development policies.
Opponents raise concerns about electricity demand, water use, noise, land use and the possibility of households subsidizing infrastructure built primarily for large technology companies. The issue crosses traditional political lines, with local opposition emerging in communities across the country.
Tomorrow’s election results could affect where big technology companies build new data centers, how local governments regulate them and the conditions developers must meet before construction begins.
For consumers in the United States, tomorrow may determine how communities and utility regulators manage the growing electricity and infrastructure demands of AI without placing unnecessary costs on existing customers.
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