Voters in dozens of local jurisdictions back bans and restrictions on data centers

In Joliet Township, Illinois, nearly 80% of voters voted to restrict data centers, as did more than 75% of voters in Hubbard, Ohio.

Published: November 4, 2026 1:01pm

Voters in more than two dozen local elections across the country supported bans or restrictions on data centers on Tuesday. 

In Joliet Township, Illinois, nearly 80% of voters voted to restrict data centers, as did more than 75% of voters in Hubbard, Ohio, the Washington Post reported. 

More than 60% of voters in Janesville, Wisconsin, supported a measure that requires local officials to get voter approval on future changes to an abandoned General Motors site, where a data center had been proposed. 

Gina Hinojosa, who beat incumbent Greg Abbott in Texas' governor race, champions a moratorium on new data center projects and advocates for tougher regulations that would impose severe protections for the environment and ratepayers. 

Seven in ten Americans, including a majority of Republicans, oppose new data center construction in their communities, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll last month. 

 

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