🔍 Read the full analysis: Data Centers On The Ballot: What Voters Chose In 47 Local Votes on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
A public tracker lists 47 local data center measures on the November 3 ballot across 10 states. As of November 5, the side mapped as favoring restrictions had won or was leading in 46, but results remain unofficial and the measures range from bans to advisory questions.
Voters in 46 of 47 local data center measures across 10 states chose, or were leading toward, outcomes the tracker classifies as restricting data center development, according to unofficial results posted by Data Centers on the Ballot as of November 5. The measures asked different questions, from outright bans to zoning decisions and non-binding opinions, and six counts were still underway.
The tracker, built by polling and data firm Redbud Consulting, listed 47 measures on the November 3 ballot. It groups outcomes as “Restrict” or “Allow” so results from differently worded questions can be tallied together. At 12:30 p.m. Eastern on November 5, it reported 41 counts complete and six still counting; all results were described as unofficial and not certified. The tracker reported a combined 260,177 votes, with 72.8% on the Restrict side. That is a count of votes across these measures, not a statewide or national voter share.
Among the reported results, Hubbard, Ohio, voters backed a ban on data centers of any size by 2,622 to 802, or 76.6%, according to the unofficial count. In Wilmington, Ohio, voters overturned four council decisions rezoning rural land for data centers. In Boulder City, Nevada, voters rejected a proposal to make city-owned desert land available for data centers, with 4,947 voting no and 2,064 voting yes, according to the Clark County count cited by the source.
The tracker’s earlier total helps explain headlines reporting 45 measures: at 6:16 a.m. Eastern on November 4, it listed 45, with results posted for 40. It later added a non-binding question in Belvidere, New Jersey, and a charter amendment in Piqua, Ohio. The source says it checked seven results against official election sites in Kansas, Nevada, Florida and North Dakota; those results matched the tracker. For most remaining measures, the article relies on the tracker’s links to election sources and, where available, local reporting.
Infographic 01 · Data centers on the ballot
Where “45 measures” comes from
One public tracker did the counting. Its numbers grew as results and late additions came in. We checked seven results against official election sites.
local ballot measures on data centers went against them on unofficial counts, 5 Nov 2026, 12:30 p.m. ET. The one exception: Harwood, North Dakota.
- 3 NovBallotpedia: 41 measuresListed before the vote · 10 states
- 4 Nov, 6:16 a.m.Tracker: 45 measures40 with results · 39 against data centers, 1 for
- 4 NovHeadlines: “45 measures”33 won, 6 leading, 1 lost, 5 not reported
- 5 Nov, 12:30 p.m.Tracker: 47 measuresAll with results · 46 against, 1 for · 6 still counting
- Emporia, KSban over 10 MW · Lyon County4,346 : 2,891
- Americus, KSban · Lyon County274 : 127
- El Dorado, KSten-year ban · Butler County2,972 : 1,183
- Ottawa, KSban over 25 MW · Franklin County2,882 : 1,129
- Edgewater, FLcharter ban · Volusia County7,875 : 2,328
- Boulder City, NVallow data centers? · Clark County2,064 : 4,947
- Harwood, NDreview rules · ND Secretary of State105 : 325
Yes : No, unofficial. All seven match the tracker to the vote.
- Ballotpedia lists 4 Maine measures, the tracker 8; Kansas 3 vs 4; New Jersey 1 vs 2. That is the gap from 41 to 47.
- The tracker added Belvidere (NJ) and Piqua (OH) after the first reports, so 45 became 47.
- 404 Media’s “40+ races in 13 states” also counts recalls and candidate races.
- Wilmington, Ohio alone accounts for 4 measures: one vote per rezoned parcel.
Sources: Data Centers on the Ballot (Redbud Consulting), 5 Nov 2026, 12:30 p.m. ET · Ballotpedia, 3 Nov 2026 · official results of Lyon, Butler and Franklin County (KS), Volusia County (FL), Clark County (NV), North Dakota Secretary of State. Nothing is certified yet.
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Local Votes Can Shape Data Center Sites
The results signal that local approval has become a practical factor for companies choosing sites, even though the 47 measures do not all have the same legal force. Some impose direct limits or change zoning; others are advisory or set a process that could require voters to weigh in again. The source notes that many measures concern future development, rather than facilities already under construction.
The issues on the ballots often translated a broad debate into specific limits, including megawatts and water use. The source describes a divide in public concerns: Gallup polling cited in the report found opponents naming water and energy, while supporters named jobs and tax revenue. The vote totals show local outcomes in these particular measures; they do not, by themselves, establish why each voter chose as they did or predict decisions in other communities.
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Why the Totals Differ by Tracker
There is no single universal count of these local votes because projects and ballot questions can be classified in different ways. Ballotpedia listed 41 measures in 10 states before the election, while Redbud’s tracker later listed 47. The source attributes most of the difference to its inclusion of eight Maine town measures rather than four, four Kansas measures rather than three, and two New Jersey measures rather than one.
Other published totals used different scopes. The source says a November 4 count of 45 came from the tracker before its two later additions, while a report describing “40+ races across 13 states” also included recalls and candidate races. The 47-measure tracker includes 37 binding measures and 10 advisory questions, covering bans, size caps, temporary moratoriums, rezoning referendums and rules requiring a public vote. Because some questions were worded differently, the tracker’s Restrict-versus-Allow grouping is a way to compare outcomes, not a claim that every measure had an identical effect.
““Restrict” and “Allow””
— Data Centers on the Ballot, the Redbud Consulting tracker
Certification and Legal Effects Remain Open
None of the tracker’s results was certified as of the November 5 update, and six counts were still in progress. The reported 46-to-1 outcome is therefore a snapshot of unofficial results, not a final certified tally. The source’s author says seven results were checked directly against official election sites; the remaining results were not all independently verified in that review.
The combined result also does not mean that 46 communities enacted outright bans. The measures differ in scope and legal status, and some were advisory. The source identifies Harwood, North Dakota, as the one measure where the Allow side led: a question about review rules for large projects received 325 no votes and 105 yes votes. The precise consequences of each vote, and whether any result will face a recount, legal challenge or further government action, are not established in the supplied reporting.
Final Counts and Local Implementation
Election officials still need to complete the six ongoing counts and certify results under their local processes. Until then, the tracker’s 46-of-47 tally should be treated as preliminary. Communities and project developers will also have to look at each measure’s text and legal status rather than rely on the combined label.
For binding votes, the next steps may involve applying a ban, cap, moratorium, zoning change or public-approval requirement. Advisory questions may inform local decisions without changing rules by themselves. The source does not give a schedule for certification or implementation across the 47 measures, so the timing and practical effect will vary by jurisdiction.
Key Questions
How many local data center measures were on the November 3 ballot?
Redbud Consulting’s tracker listed 47 measures across 10 states as of November 5. Other published totals differed because they used different inclusion rules or were recorded before the tracker added two measures.
Did voters reject data centers in 46 places?
Not necessarily in the form of an outright ban. The tracker says the Restrict side won or led in 46 measures, but those included bans, caps, pauses, rezoning votes, advisory questions and public-vote requirements. The legal effect depends on the text of each measure.
Are the results final?
No. The tracker described all results as unofficial and uncertified on November 5. Six counts were still underway at that time.
Where did the 45-measure figure come from?
It was an earlier count on the same tracker. The tracker showed 45 measures on the morning of November 4, then added a Belvidere, New Jersey, advisory question and a Piqua, Ohio, charter amendment.
Which measure was the exception to the Restrict-side lead?
The tracker identified Harwood, North Dakota, as the exception. Its question on review rules for large projects had 325 no votes to 105 yes votes in the unofficial result cited by the source.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
