At least four local data center-related ballot measures are set to appear on ballots this year, with the first vote coming Tuesday in Port Washington, Wisconsin.
As tech companies race to build data centers, more communities are pushing back
Concerns about electricity bills and local impacts are fueling bipartisan opposition to the massive data centers that power the digital economy, from cloud services to AI chatbots. In Wisconsin, as in other states, the tussles are personal – and fraught.
Ballot Measure Hub - Ballot Initiative Strategy Center
In the Ballot Hub, you'll find BISC's expert analysis of ballot measures, landscape trends, attacks and threats, issue research, and more.
Data Center Watch
Free weekly updates on the political risks facing American data center projects
‘The Most Bipartisan Issue Since Beer’: Opposition to Data Centers
Americans have soured on data centers, polls show, and the sentiment is profoundly bipartisan. How will that change our politics?
Permissioned Data Shapes: Polls - Nick's Blog
A poll is a space, a ballot is an address, and read_self is the ballot screen: voters cast and change their own votes while no voter's client can read anyone else's.
Priorities | celeste4sos.com
The right to vote, better representation and election integrity.
A battle over data centers heats up along the Mississippi-Tennessee state line • Tennessee Lookout
SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — Over the last three years, Devan Jenkins has watched the trees around her family home give way to industrial development. Directly in front of her property along the Mississippi-Tennessee border sits a tangle of massive power lines, an extension of the electrical grid operated by Memphis Light, Gas and Water. At the […]
Thousands in US expected to protest against ICE, datacenters and voter suppression this weekend
Demonstrations planned across the US this weekend will focus on three issues likely to define the midterm elections
I think the data center backlash is mostly about data centers
It’s probably not your ideological thing, or mine. It’s about object-level claims about how data centers impact the communities where they’re built, many of which are wrong.
I think the data center backlash is mostly about data centers
It’s probably not your ideological thing, or mine. It’s about object-level claims about how data centers impact the communities where they’re built, many of which are wrong.
America's data center growth hot spots, mapped
Virginia and Texas lead the way, but they're becoming a major political fight.
Where Republicans and Democrats stand on AI data centers
Five charts exploring how Republicans and Democrats feel about AI data centers and what that might mean for the road ahead
What Happens When Data Centers Come to Town?
The rapid growth of data centers, with their enormous energy and water demands, necessitates targeted policy interventions to mitigate environmental impacts and protect local communities. To address these issues, states with existing data center tax breaks should adopt sustainable growth policies for data centers, mandating energy audits, strict performance standards, and renewable energy integration, while also requiring transparency in energy usage reporting. “Renewable energy additionality” clauses should ensure data centers contribute to new renewable capacity rather than relying on existing resources.
Are AI data centers coming to your area?
This free, crowd-sourced tracker website is one of the most comprehensive attempts we’ve seen to keep tabs on where new data centers are being proposed. Maps are currently available across 18 states, with data compiled from public sources. You can read about the Data Center Proposal Tracker creator’s methodology here. [Image: Here’s a screenshot from the tracker showing sites around NYC. https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-16-100907.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]
