US midterm voters and candidates raise pressure on data center construction
In the US midterm elections, several winning candidates back data center moratoriums, and 33 of 45 local ballot measures will restrict such facilities. This could complicate the expansion of the artificial intelligence industry.
Voters in the US midterm elections backed candidates and local ballot measures that put additional obstacles in the way of data center construction. Data centers are large computing facilities on which the growth of the artificial intelligence industry relies, so the outcome may make their development more restricted. According to The Verge, developers are likely to face a tighter regulatory environment.
In an NBC News poll taken on Election Day, 76 percent of voters said they opposed data centers in their communities. Data centers were directly on the ballot in 45 local measures nationwide. According to a tally compiled by Redbud Consulting, 33 of them, as of Wednesday morning, will restrict such facilities. The town of Wells, Maine, backed a 180-day moratorium on large data centers, several Ohio cities voted to ban those above 25MW, and El Dorado, Kansas, voted a 10-year ban on facilities with peak electrical load above 10MW.
Governor and Senate races
In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa will succeed Republican Greg Abbott as governor and supports a statewide moratorium. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed won the Senate race and has called for a pause on new projects until they can be built safely and with federal protections. In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson ousted Republican Sen. Susan Collins; he supports a state moratorium. In Georgia, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms won the governorship and also favors a moratorium.
Other winners are less categorical. In Florida, Republican Byron Donalds won the governor's race while opposing an outright ban. In Iowa, Democrat Rob Sand rejected a moratorium favored by his challenger, though both wanted to end tax breaks. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro kept his seat, and in Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown took back a Senate seat from Republican Jon Husted.
The source notes that it is hard to draw a direct line between data center backlash and any candidate's win, but even these candidates had to address the issue during their campaigns and will likely face continued pressure to introduce at least some guardrails.
