US voters approve dozens of datacenter moratoriums in midterm elections

Voters across the United States approved dozens of datacenter moratoriums during Tuesday's midterm elections, the Guardian reported. The measures appeared on ballots in at least 40 jurisdictions spread across 10 states. Voters delivered a strong rebuke to the large facilities, which contain semiconductor chips that power artificial intelligence and online products. [1]

In Ohio alone, voters approved at least 14 municipal ballot measures aimed at stopping datacenter construction, according to the Guardian. The newspaper described datacenters as a key symbol of the technology industry and artificial intelligence. [1]

AI data centers have faced growing political and grassroots opposition during a surge in construction throughout the 2020s AI boom. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Tuesday's midterms also saw voters in states like Idaho and Missouri decide on other major local ballot measures. [2][3][4]