Midterm Voters Just Pulled The Plug On AI Data Centers, And Big Tech Should Be Very Worried

On Tuesday night, the most powerful technology humanity has ever built lost an election to a lawn sign that read “No Data Center.” In this week’s U.S. midterms, the AI boom was on the ballot 41 times in 10 states, and voters sided with it exactly once. From small towns in Ohio to the suburbs of Wisconsin, communities voted for bans and moratoriums on the facilities that power artificial intelligence.

The shockwaves traveled far beyond local zoning boards. In Texas, a state that accounts for 41% of new U.S. data center capacity expected in 2028, Democrat Gina Hinojosa won the governor’s race after pledging to pause new construction. In Ohio, a Senate campaign that branded the incumbent “the face of data centers” helped Democrats take the seat. According to a CNBC voter poll, 56% of voters said data centers were a crucial or major factor in their decision. Elon Musk, who poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the election, responded by suggesting that data centers in space were looking appealing. It’s certainly one way to make sure the neighbors never complain about the noise.

Across the Atlantic, more than 100 campaign groups in 15 European countries are staging coordinated protests this week, and the Scottish Parliament has already voted to pause planning decisions on hyperscale facilities until national guidance is in place. The message from voters on both sides of the ocean is remarkably consistent, and the AI industry ignores it at its peril.

Why The Anger Is Justified

It would be easy for the technology world to dismiss all of this as old-fashioned NIMBYism. That would be a serious mistake. The concerns driving this backlash are concrete, and most of them are rooted in the monthly household budget.

Why I Remain An Optimist

My optimism about the destination is undimmed. What worries me is the route we are taking to get there.