In 2026, voters in multiple states will decide on at least five local ballot measures related to data center development, including one to allow data center development, and four to limit, prohibit, or create additional steps for data center development.
In addition to these local measures, a state ballot initiative has been proposed in Ohio to prohibit the construction of data centers for digital data processing with an aggregate power demand exceeding 25 megawatts.
A data center is a physical facility that houses computer systems and related equipment used to store, manage, process, and transmit digital information. Data centers typically contain rows of computer servers, data storage systems, and networking equipment, along with the power and cooling infrastructure needed to operate them.
Data centers vary in size and type. A large, warehouse-sized facility is known as a hyperscale data center. According to the Congressional Research Service, increasing demand for data storage and computing power, particularly for AI, has driven the construction of hyperscale data centers.
The five local ballot measures that voters will decide on in 2026 are:
- Boulder City, Nevada: The ballot measure, titled Question 1, would allow data center facilities to be considered an approved land use within the Eldorado Valley Transfer Area, excluding the Multi-species Habitat Conservation Easement. On February 24, 2026, the Boulder City Council voted 3-1 to refer the measure to the ballot.
- Monterey Park, California: The ballot measure, titled Measure NDC, would amend the Monterey Park Land Use and Urban Design Element to prohibit data centers. The Monterey Park City Council unanimously voted to place the measure on the ballot for June 2, 2026.
- Augusta Township, Michigan: The ballot measure is a local veto referendum seeking to overturn Ordinance No. 2025-02, which rezoned seven parcels totaling 522.2 acres from Agricultural Residential (AR) to General Industrial (GI) for a proposed data center. A 'yes' vote would uphold the ordinance, while a 'no' vote would repeal the ordinance. The rezoned land would become part of a larger 810.5-acre, 19-parcel data center campus. On July 22, 2025, the Augusta Township Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve Ordinance No. 2025-02. In addition to the referendum, opponents of the rezoning launched a recall effort targeting the township’s board of trustees, as well as the treasurer, clerk, and supervisor.
These three local ballot measures join two in Wisconsin—one in Port Washington and the other in Janesville.
- On April 7, voters in Port Washington will decide on a ballot initiative that would require voter approval before the City of Port Washington could create or approve a Tax Incremental District (TID) with either a projected base property value of $10 million or more or projected project costs of $10 million or more. The ballot initiative was proposed in response to the Port Washington City Council's approval of a development agreement with Vantage Data Centers Management Company, LLC on August 19, 2025. Vantage planned to construct a $15 billion data center campus, to be operated by OpenAI and Oracle, spanning 670 acres across four buildings and requiring an estimated 3.5 gigawatts of electricity.
- On November 3, voters in Janesville will decide on a ballot initiative that would require voter approval before the City of Janesville could approve development on undeveloped portions of the GM/JATCO site if the project’s cost exceeds $450 million. As of March 2026, the Janesville City Council was considering a proposal from Viridian Partners to redevelop the site into an 800-megawatt, 11-building data center campus. The project was estimated to cost $8 billion.
Measures related to data centers have also been proposed in Marana, Arizona; Frederick County, Maryland; Festus, Joplin, and Independence, Missouri; and Wilmington, Ohio.
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