AI data center boom faces backlash at US ballot box

FILE PHOTO: Protestors hold up 'Stop data centers' signs, on the day of U.S. President Donald Trump's speech at the General Motors Proving Ground, in Milford, Michigan, U.S. July 27, 2026. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio/File Photo

WASHINGTON, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Voters in 10 ⁠US states will decide on Election Day whether to curb data center development in their communities, as the rapid ⁠buildout needed to power the AI boom stirs local opposition.

Resistance is especially visible in Ohio, one of the country's ‌fastest-growing data center markets. No state has more data center-related ballot measures, with voters in more than a dozen jurisdictions set to consider 21 proposals alongsideTuesday's midterm elections, according to the nonpartisan research groupBallotpedia.

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资料照片：2026年7月27日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在通用汽车试验场发表讲话当天，抗议者举着“停止数据中心”的标语。（路透社/卡洛斯·奥索里奥/资料照片）

华盛顿，10 月 29 日（路透社）——美国 10 个州的选民将在选举日决定是否限制在其社区内发展数据中心，因为为支持人工智能热潮而需要的快速建设引发了当地的反对。

在俄亥俄州，这种抵制情绪尤为明显，该州是美国增长最快的数据中心市场之一。据无党派研究机构Ballotpedia的数据显示，没有哪个州的数据中心相关投票提案比俄亥俄州更多，十几个选区的选民将在周二的中期选举中审议21项提案。

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