Tuesday’s election was a sweeping rebuke of Republicans—and a warning that communities won’t swallow the costs of the AI boom without a larger voice in the process. Democrats won both chambers of Congress and a long list of key state races, just as voters across the country backed limits on data centers in separate referendums.
Let’s start with the ballot measures. Voters in more than 30 communities across nine states supported restrictions or bans on data centers, Semafor reported. The New York Times found voters rejected projects in nearly every local measure—and this wasn’t a regional thing. People used the ballot box to push back on developments that may raise their utility bills, strain water supplies, or change the character of their communities.
To be clear, Democrats won on a broader mix of issues, including inflation and mounting frustration with the Trump administration. Data centers alone didn’t do it. But AI and Big Tech became part of the message, and candidates who promised more oversight found an audience across the political spectrum.
This has real consequences for Big Tech and the AI infrastructure build-out: Democratic gains could mean tighter oversight and a lot more uncertainty for data center construction.
Here in my home state, Gina Hinojosa will be Texas’s first Democratic governor in more than 30 years, and her stance on data centers likely helped lead her to victory. Hinojosa pledged to halt approvals for new data centers until lawmakers put protections in place for communities, water supplies, and electricity costs (something Greg Abbott had already done—somewhat reluctantly—back in August). When a Republican governor and his Democratic successor land in roughly the same place, that tells you something: resistance to these facilities crosses party lines and the urban/rural divide.
So what happens next for AI? If approvals get harder, projects face delays, higher costs, or relocation. But the criticism is so widespread that I’m not sure there’s anywhere left to relocate to.
Elon Musk had his own idea:
Let’s face it—space data centers have plenty of negatives too, particularly if you like to look at the stars!
The Wall Street Journal reported that the opposition could upend companies’ plans for the infrastructure that powers AI. Even Meta’s president now expects tougher scrutiny of new U.S. data centers.
Some industry leaders are already framing the backlash as anti-Trump, not anti-tech. But I think that narrative downplays the role tech itself played in getting us to this political moment. Yes, we need data centers to power the digital economy (and create AI-generated dog photos), but communities may be less tolerant of the air pollution (and light pollution and disruption) than data center developers think.
At the end of the day, voters backed candidates and measures that promise more control over data center growth. Maybe it’s a symptom of bigger anxieties about job displacement and the cultural shifts that come with new technology. Only time will tell.
Sure, the election wasn’t a referendum on AI alone. But it was a clear sign that voters want the AI boom’s benefits weighed against its local costs—and that communities, not just tech companies, should get a say in what gets built.