US voters reject data center measures as Democrats sweep midterms

· Tech · United States

Voters in the US midterm elections rejected data center development across the country: 45 measures appeared on ballots and nearly all of them went against reining in or expanding such projects, with only one small North Dakota town voting in support. Democrats took control of the House, Senate and several governorships, including in Texas, where James Talarico won a Senate seat and Gina Hinojosa was projected to win the governor's race. Texas is the fastest-growing data center market in the US and hosts some of Big Tech's largest AI buildouts, so the result introduces uncertainty for the sector and for Elon Musk, its most prominent local tech figure. Industry groups have pushed back, framing the results as anti-Trump rather than anti-tech, while some data center advocates have floated space-based facilities as an alternative.

Why it matters：Data center siting has become a ballot-box issue, and the outcome in Texas — the sector's biggest growth market — could slow permitting and power deals that underpin AI capacity expansion.

Key points

  • 45 data center propositions were on ballots; only one town voted in support of development.
  • Democrats won the Senate, House and governor's races, including in Texas, for the first time in decades.
  • Tech industry groups argue the vote was a rebuke of Trump rather than of AI and data centers.

Sources (original reporting)

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