🔍 Read the full analysis: Voters Rejected Data Centers In 46 Of 47 Local Votes. What Was On The Ballot? on ThorstenMeyerAI.com
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TL;DR
As of November 5, an independent tracker showed the side favoring data-center restrictions winning or leading in 46 of 47 local measures across 10 states. The measures had different effects: some imposed bans or limits, while others were temporary pauses, zoning decisions or advisory questions. Results remain unofficial, and six counts were still underway.
Voters favored data-center restrictions in 46 of 47 local measures on November 3, according to results compiled by the Data Centers on the Ballot tracker as of November 5. The measures appeared in 10 states, but they did not all ask voters to make the same decision: some proposed bans or size limits, while others concerned zoning, temporary pauses or nonbinding questions. All results remain unofficial.
The tracker, built by polling and data firm Redbud Consulting, classifies outcomes as “Restrict” or “Allow” so it can group differently worded ballot questions. At 12:30 p.m. Eastern on November 5, it listed 47 measures, with the restrictive outcome ahead in 46. The exception was Harwood, North Dakota. Six results were still being counted; 41 counts were complete for election night.
The tracker’s combined tally was 260,177 votes, of which 72.8% were on the restrictive side. That is the tracker’s aggregation across varied questions, not a single statewide or national vote on data centers. A “Restrict” result could mean anything from blocking a project to requiring voters to approve one, depending on the ballot language.
The source article says its author checked seven results against official election sites in Kansas, Nevada, Florida and North Dakota, and found they matched the tracker. In Hubbard, Ohio, an unofficial count showed 2,622 votes for a citywide ban and 802 against, or 76.6% in favor. The Tribune Chronicle also reported the Hubbard measure passing 76% to 24%. The article relies on the tracker and local reporting for other results it could not independently verify.
Infographic 01 · Data centers on the ballot
Where “45 measures” comes from
One public tracker did the counting. Its numbers grew as results and late additions came in. We checked seven results against official election sites.
local ballot measures on data centers went against them on unofficial counts, 5 Nov 2026, 12:30 p.m. ET. The one exception: Harwood, North Dakota.
- 3 NovBallotpedia: 41 measuresListed before the vote · 10 states
- 4 Nov, 6:16 a.m.Tracker: 45 measures40 with results · 39 against data centers, 1 for
- 4 NovHeadlines: “45 measures”33 won, 6 leading, 1 lost, 5 not reported
- 5 Nov, 12:30 p.m.Tracker: 47 measuresAll with results · 46 against, 1 for · 6 still counting
- Emporia, KSban over 10 MW · Lyon County4,346 : 2,891
- Americus, KSban · Lyon County274 : 127
- El Dorado, KSten-year ban · Butler County2,972 : 1,183
- Ottawa, KSban over 25 MW · Franklin County2,882 : 1,129
- Edgewater, FLcharter ban · Volusia County7,875 : 2,328
- Boulder City, NVallow data centers? · Clark County2,064 : 4,947
- Harwood, NDreview rules · ND Secretary of State105 : 325
Yes : No, unofficial. All seven match the tracker to the vote.
- Ballotpedia lists 4 Maine measures, the tracker 8; Kansas 3 vs 4; New Jersey 1 vs 2. That is the gap from 41 to 47.
- The tracker added Belvidere (NJ) and Piqua (OH) after the first reports, so 45 became 47.
- 404 Media’s “40+ races in 13 states” also counts recalls and candidate races.
- Wilmington, Ohio alone accounts for 4 measures: one vote per rezoned parcel.
Sources: Data Centers on the Ballot (Redbud Consulting), 5 Nov 2026, 12:30 p.m. ET · Ballotpedia, 3 Nov 2026 · official results of Lyon, Butler and Franklin County (KS), Volusia County (FL), Clark County (NV), North Dakota Secretary of State. Nothing is certified yet.
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Local Votes Shape Project Approval
The results point to local consent as a potential site risk for data-center developers, particularly where a measure adds a public vote, limits eligible projects or changes zoning. In places where a binding restriction passes, proposals that have not yet been built may face new limits or approval steps. The source says many of the votes targeted future projects, rather than campuses already under construction.
For residents, the ballot language puts practical questions about electricity, water, land use and local revenue into local decision-making. The source describes energy and water as common concerns among opponents, and jobs and tax revenue as arguments made by supporters, citing Gallup polling. The election tally does not establish why each voter chose a side, or show that every community weighed those considerations in the same way.
The headline figure is striking, but it should not be read as 46 communities adopting identical bans. Some measures were binding and some advisory; their legal consequences depend on what each ballot actually said and how local rules apply.
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Why the Measure Count Changed
Early reports cited 45 measures, based on the tracker’s count the morning after the election. At 6:16 a.m. Eastern on November 4, it showed 45 measures, with results posted for 40: the restrictive side led in 39 and the permissive side in one. Two measures were added later: a nonbinding question in Belvidere, New Jersey, and a charter amendment in Piqua, Ohio.
Other trackers used different definitions. Ballotpedia listed 41 measures on election day, including fewer measures in Maine, Kansas and New Jersey than Redbud’s tracker. The source attributes the difference to which local questions each count included. A separate 404 Media count referred to more than 40 races across 13 states and also included recalls and candidate races, so it was not a directly comparable tally of data-center ballot measures.
The Redbud tracker’s categories cover a broad range of questions: outright bans, megawatt caps, zoning referendums, agreements with developers, voter-approval requirements and advisory questions. The source reports that 37 of the 47 measures were binding and 10 advisory. Examples include Hubbard’s proposed ban on data centers of any size and Boulder City, Nevada’s Question 1, which asked about allowing data centers on city-owned desert land. In Boulder City, the unofficial count was 2,064 yes to 4,947 no on that proposal.
““Restrict” and “Allow””
— Data Centers on the Ballot tracker, built by Redbud Consulting
Uncertified Counts, Different Legal Effects
None of the results was certified in the source’s November 5 account, and six counts were still in progress. The 46-of-47 figure is therefore a snapshot of unofficial results, not a final certified total. The source does not provide later certification status.
The author says they checked seven results against official election sites but could not independently verify all 47, in part because some county sites blocked automated access or posted scanned documents. For the remaining measures, the report relied on the tracker’s links to county sources and on local reporting where available. The legal effect of each outcome also varies: the source identifies 10 measures as advisory, meaning they do not themselves impose the same binding rules as the other measures.
It is also unclear from the aggregate tally how many projects will be stopped, delayed or altered. The source does not provide a count of proposed facilities affected by each measure, nor does the overall vote share reveal voters’ individual reasons for supporting restrictions.
Certification and Local Follow-Through
The immediate next step is completion and certification of election counts by the relevant local and state authorities. Results that were still being counted may change before certification, although the source does not state when each jurisdiction expects to finalize its totals.
After that, the consequences will depend on each measure’s text and local process. Officials may need to apply newly adopted bans, caps, zoning decisions or voter-approval rules; advisory results may instead serve as a public signal without changing the law on their own. The reported tally does not specify implementation dates or identify how every locality will handle pending data-center proposals.
For residents, developers and local governments, the next useful evidence will be the certified results and the official steps each jurisdiction takes to carry out its particular measure. Until those details are available, 46 of 47 remains an unofficial summary of varied local votes, not a single national policy decision.
Key Questions
What does “46 of 47” mean?
It means the restrictive side won or was leading in 46 measures listed by the Data Centers on the Ballot tracker as of November 5. The results were unofficial, and six counts were still underway.
Did voters approve 46 data-center bans?
No. The measures had different terms and effects. They included bans, size limits, zoning votes, temporary pauses, voter-approval rules and advisory questions; the 46 figure groups restrictive outcomes across those different ballot questions.
Where was the exception?
Harwood, North Dakota, was the one measure where the restrictive side was not ahead in the tracker’s November 5 count. Its unofficial result was 105 yes to 325 no on a question about review rules for large projects.
Why did some reports say 45 measures?
The tracker showed 45 measures early on November 4 and added two later: a nonbinding question in Belvidere, New Jersey, and a charter amendment in Piqua, Ohio. Other outlets counted measures differently, producing totals such as Ballotpedia’s 41.
Are the results final?
Not according to the source’s November 5 report. All results were unofficial, and six counts were still underway. Final certified totals and the implementation of each measure remained pending.
Source: ThorstenMeyerAI.com
