American voters on Nov. 3 supported bans or restrictions on new data centers in at least 38 jurisdictions, The Washington Post calculated. Democrat Gina Hinojosa was elected governor of Texas with a promise of a freeze. In Ohio, Democrat Amy Acton was elected governor, advocating a conditional suspension of construction. The elections for the post of governor were decided by a combination of issues. Local votes gave a much more direct answer: the residents are ready to delay the arrival of an investor who promises to invest large sums.
Discontent gripped both sides. In an October poll by ABC News, The Washington Post and Ipsos, 72% of Americans, including 58% of Republicans, opposed a new data center in their community. The cloud service can be sold to customers on the other side of the planet. Residents are worried about noise and a possible lack of water. The expansion of the electricity grid raises another controversy: who will pay for equipment built for someone else's business. The fear of rising electricity bills makes construction a threat to the family budget.
At the time of the elections, the opposition already had a substantial result. 451 Research, part of S&P Global, tracked 168 projects in the U.S. as of Aug. 6 that were facing cancellation or delays pending a permit. About 75% of the cases were related to local demonstrations. Waiting for approvals delays the start of construction and the sale of computing. Money can be raised for servers long before agreeing to place them. The elections reinforced the demand to address these conflicts in the plans of future heads of state.
Hinojosa vowed to stay on hold until laws are passed that would give Texans a say in data center decisions. The legislative session will begin in January. Incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott froze the approvals even before the election while he reviewed the industry's resource needs. The winning opponent intends to replace the temporary check with sustainable requirements.