Data centers lost the midterms

<figure> <img alt="Graphic image of a data center." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/STKS528_DATA_CENTERS2_D.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Data center developers are poised to face a more restrictive building environment after voters across the country voted in candidates who favor moratoriums and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/11/04/voters-pass-over-20-ballot-measures-ban-or-restrict-data-centers/">ballot measures</a> that put more obstacles on their expansion, delivering a stinging blow to a central pillar of the AI industry.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Of voters polled by <em>NBC News</em> on Election Day, 76 percent <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/exit-poll-trump-midterms-voters-economy-disapproval-rcna607045">said they opposed data centers</a> in their communities. Dozens of local communities <a href="https://stateline.org/2026/11/04/voters-across-the-country-reject-data-centers/">voted directly to restrict development</a> through <a href="https://datacentersontheballot.com/">ballot measures</a>. And upset winners like Texas Democratic Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa and Michigan's Democratic Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed support moratoriums on development.</p> … <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/policy/1026365/data-centers-midterms-results">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>