Data centres lost almost every ballot vote across 13 states, TechPolicy.Press reports
Jenna Ruddock writes that data centres went to a direct vote in thirteen states and lost almost everywhere, and that governors-elect in Texas, Georgia and Maine have called for pauses or moratoriums on new construction.
Summary
Tech Policy Press reports that data centers were a prominent issue in the US midterm elections held on Tuesday, and that in the 13 states where they were put to a direct vote, they lost in almost every place they appeared on the ballot. The article describes opposition to AI infrastructure as having grown across the country over the past year, with Tuesday's results showing how large a role it played.
In Texas, Democratic candidates ran on data center restrictions. Senator-elect James Talarico wants to end the state sales tax exemption, which Good Jobs First projects will cost about 3.3 billion dollars, and Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa urged a moratorium. In Georgia, Democrats won a third seat on the Public Service Commission and took control of it for the first time since 1996, after utility bills became a flashpoint. Governors-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia and Hannah Pingree in Maine have called for pauses, and Michigan's Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed backed a local moratorium. In Ohio, ten cities and villages backed by the grassroots group Conserve Ohio voted on charter amendments, and every one passed, some with upwards of 70 percent.
The article says industry spending fell flat. Groups tied to the super PAC Leading the Future spent millions, including at least 2.54 million dollars on Ohio television ads, according to DeSmog, and 2 million dollars for a South Carolina senator who lost to Annie Andrews, who had called for a two-year moratorium. Elon Musk's outlay over the cycle approached half a billion dollars.
Looking ahead, the piece points to possible congressional investigations, including Representative Jamie Raskin's inquiry into NDAs, and to efforts to put a statewide moratorium on Ohio's next ballot. It cautions that industry infrastructure bets continue to grow.