Voters backed data center limits in 40 of 41 local votes; Trump says China will take them

On Nov. 3, voters in 10 states decided local ballot measures on data centers. These are the huge computer complexes that run artificial intelligence (AI). In 40 of 41 measures, the side that wanted to limit them won ³⁴. A Harvard Kennedy School analysis found the limiting side got more than 70% of the vote in 30 of those 41 contests ³.

Five days later, President Donald Trump repeated his warning. In a Sunday post pushing the Senate to pass an energy permitting bill, he wrote that "China will take any Data Center that we don't want." ¹²

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That matters for household budgets. Local residents' complaints include the effect on water and power bills, plus secret deals between local governments and developers ⁸. In a Reuters-Ipsos poll in June, 77% of Americans said they worry AI will raise their electricity bills ⁷.

What Trump said before the vote

On Aug. 31, Trump wrote on Truth Social that communities speaking out against data centers would "end up being backwards and poor." He added, "The good news is that there are plenty of other places that want them." ⁷

From Channel GOPTrump dodges rigged-election question, calls Massie loserDonald Trump · 525 plays · captioned, with the source named

If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame.

On Oct. 3, Trump defended data centers at a rally in Vandalia, Ohio, for Republican Sen. Jon Husted. The Associated Press (AP) reported that the crowd was noticeably quieter during that part of the speech ⁶.

Look, there's so much money to be made for Ohio. You can't just turn them off. They'll go to China

Husted had sponsored a bill asking utility regulators to make large power users pay more, and nearly all Democrats blocked it, AP reported ⁶. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who runs the Senate GOP's campaign arm, told reporters: "You got to remember, Sherrod Brown was for data centers, and Jon Husted is for data centers being responsible." ⁶

What voters did

Ohio had 21 of the 41 measures, more than any other state, and voters approved restrictions in every one ³. Five measures across the country were outright bans: one in California, one in Florida and three in Ohio. Other places approved partial bans or six-month pauses, including towns in Kansas and Maine ⁴.

The one exception was Harwood, N.D. There, about 75% of 430 voters rejected a charter amendment that would have required an independent review and a public hearing for large industrial projects ⁸. In Morgan County, Ill., 88.3% of 10,663 voters backed restrictions, according to a tracker run by Redbud Consulting ⁹.

Candidates paid a price too. Democrat Sherrod Brown beat Husted after calling him "the face of data centers." ⁵ Democrat Amy Acton won the Ohio governor's race over Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. She backs a conditional pause on new data centers that would make them cover 100% of their utility costs ⁵.

Senator Jon Husted gave billions in tax breaks to Big Tech to make sure they would build their data centers in Ohio

In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa unseated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott after blaming him for the rapid buildout of data centers ⁵. In NBC exit polls, 56% of voters called AI and data centers a crucial or major factor in their vote, and 64% of those voters chose Democrats ⁸.

What happens now

On Monday, Nov. 9, the Senate voted to move ahead with the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act. The bill is meant to speed up approval of energy projects ¹. New data centers that use at least 20 megawatts of power would have to pay for the grid upgrades needed to serve them ².

One study estimates that over 10 years, data centers would pay about $55 billion in transmission charges under the bill. That is roughly $35 billion more than under current rules ¹. The Rhodium Group, a research firm, projected that the original bill could cut the average household's yearly electric bill by $50 to $78 in 2040 ².

The day of data center freeloading ends when this bill passes.

Critics say the bill does more for the industry than for households. Allie Rosenbluth of the group Oil Change International called it "a massive giveaway to the data center industry." ¹ The investment firm TD Cowen now puts the chance of passage at 25%, down from 40% before the election ². Any version the Senate passes must also pass the House in identical form before it reaches Trump ¹.

The pattern

The pattern is a president repeating the same warning after voters chose limits. Trump's message in August, in October and after the election stayed the same: data centers will go somewhere else, possibly China ¹⁶⁷. Meanwhile, the voters most affected chose limits in Kansas, Ohio, Maine, California and beyond ⁴.

Public doubts were clear long before Election Day. A Pew Research Center survey published March 12 found that more Americans said data centers hurt home energy costs, the environment and quality of life than said they helped ⁷. Democrats plan to introduce bills in January on data center electricity costs, once they control both chambers ².

The Record

1. Aug 31, 2026Trump writes that communities opposing data centers will 'end up being backwards and poor' ⁷
2. Oct 3, 2026At an Ohio rally for Sen. Jon Husted, Trump says data centers will go to China if communities turn them away ⁶
3. Nov 3, 2026Voters back limits on data centers in 40 of 41 local ballot measures in 10 states. Brown beats Husted in Ohio ⁴⁵
4. Nov 8, 2026Trump posts that 'China will take any Data Center that we don't want' while urging the Senate to pass the permitting bill ¹²
5. Nov 9, 2026Senate votes to move ahead with the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act ¹

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<h2>Voters backed data center limits in 40 of 41 local votes; Trump says China will take them</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files National Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/voters-backed-data-center-limits-in-40-of-41-local-votes-trump-says-china-will-take">The GOP Files</a> on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.</em></p> <p>On Nov. 3, voters in 10 states decided local ballot measures on data centers. These are the huge computer complexes that run artificial intelligence (AI). In 40 of 41 measures, the side that wanted to limit them won . A Harvard Kennedy School analysis found the limiting side got more than 70% of the vote in 30 of those 41 contests .</p> <p>Five days later, President Donald Trump repeated his warning. In a Sunday post pushing the Senate to pass an energy permitting bill, he wrote that &quot;China will take any Data Center that we don&#39;t want.&quot;</p> <p>That matters for household budgets. Local residents&#39; complaints include the effect on water and power bills, plus secret deals between local governments and developers . In a Reuters-Ipsos poll in June, 77% of Americans said they worry AI will raise their electricity bills .</p> <h2>What Trump said before the vote</h2> <p>On Aug. 31, Trump wrote on Truth Social that communities speaking out against data centers would &quot;end up being backwards and poor.&quot; He added, &quot;The good news is that there are plenty of other places that want them.&quot;</p> <blockquote><p>If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame.</p><p>&mdash; Donald Trump, President, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>On Oct. 3, Trump defended data centers at a rally in Vandalia, Ohio, for Republican Sen. Jon Husted. The Associated Press (AP) reported that the crowd was noticeably quieter during that part of the speech .</p> <blockquote><p>Look, there&#39;s so much money to be made for Ohio. You can&#39;t just turn them off. They&#39;ll go to China</p><p>&mdash; Donald Trump, President, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>Husted had sponsored a bill asking utility regulators to make large power users pay more, and nearly all Democrats blocked it, AP reported . Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who runs the Senate GOP&#39;s campaign arm, told reporters: &quot;You got to remember, Sherrod Brown was for data centers, and Jon Husted is for data centers being responsible.&quot;</p> <h2>What voters did</h2> <p>Ohio had 21 of the 41 measures, more than any other state, and voters approved restrictions in every one . Five measures across the country were outright bans: one in California, one in Florida and three in Ohio. Other places approved partial bans or six-month pauses, including towns in Kansas and Maine .</p> <p>The one exception was Harwood, N.D. There, about 75% of 430 voters rejected a charter amendment that would have required an independent review and a public hearing for large industrial projects . In Morgan County, Ill., 88.3% of 10,663 voters backed restrictions, according to a tracker run by Redbud Consulting .</p> <p>Candidates paid a price too. Democrat Sherrod Brown beat Husted after calling him &quot;the face of data centers.&quot; Democrat Amy Acton won the Ohio governor&#39;s race over Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. She backs a conditional pause on new data centers that would make them cover 100% of their utility costs .</p> <blockquote><p>Senator Jon Husted gave billions in tax breaks to Big Tech to make sure they would build their data centers in Ohio</p><p>&mdash; Sherrod Brown, Democratic Senate candidate, now senator-elect, Ohio</p></blockquote> <p>In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa unseated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott after blaming him for the rapid buildout of data centers . In NBC exit polls, 56% of voters called AI and data centers a crucial or major factor in their vote, and 64% of those voters chose Democrats .</p> <h2>What happens now</h2> <p>On Monday, Nov. 9, the Senate voted to move ahead with the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act. The bill is meant to speed up approval of energy projects . New data centers that use at least 20 megawatts of power would have to pay for the grid upgrades needed to serve them .</p> <p>One study estimates that over 10 years, data centers would pay about $55 billion in transmission charges under the bill. That is roughly $35 billion more than under current rules . The Rhodium Group, a research firm, projected that the original bill could cut the average household&#39;s yearly electric bill by $50 to $78 in 2040 .</p> <blockquote><p>The day of data center freeloading ends when this bill passes.</p><p>&mdash; Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. senator, D-R.I., bill co-sponsor</p></blockquote> <p>Critics say the bill does more for the industry than for households. Allie Rosenbluth of the group Oil Change International called it &quot;a massive giveaway to the data center industry.&quot; The investment firm TD Cowen now puts the chance of passage at 25%, down from 40% before the election . Any version the Senate passes must also pass the House in identical form before it reaches Trump .</p> <h2>The pattern</h2> <p>The pattern is a president repeating the same warning after voters chose limits. Trump&#39;s message in August, in October and after the election stayed the same: data centers will go somewhere else, possibly China . Meanwhile, the voters most affected chose limits in Kansas, Ohio, Maine, California and beyond .</p> <p>Public doubts were clear long before Election Day. A Pew Research Center survey published March 12 found that more Americans said data centers hurt home energy costs, the environment and quality of life than said they helped . Democrats plan to introduce bills in January on data center electricity costs, once they control both chambers .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/voters-backed-data-center-limits-in-40-of-41-local-votes-trump-says-china-will-take">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/voters-backed-data-center-limits-in-40-of-41-local-votes-trump-says-china-will-take.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. TIME, “Congress's Permitting Bill Is a 'Massive Giveaway' to the AI Data Center Industry, Critics Warn” (2026-11-10). time.com/article/2026/11/10/permitting-bill-data-centers/
2. International Business Times (via Yahoo News), “A Bill to Make Data Centers Pay for Grid Upgrades is Dividing Democrats as They Gear to Control Congress” (2026-11-09). yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/bill-data-centers-pay-grid-
3. Harvard Kennedy School Ash Center, “What the 2026 Midterm Results Mean for Technology Policy” (2026-11-10). ash.harvard.edu/articles/what-the-2026-midterm-results-mean-
4. Ballotpedia News, “Voters favored limiting data center development in 40 of 41 local ballot measures on Nov. 3” (2026-11-06). news.ballotpedia.org/2026/11/06/voters-favored-limiting-data
5. CNBC, “Voters rebuff data centers in every ballot measure except one during the 2026 midterms” (2026-11-04). cnbc.com/2026/11/04/data-center-ballot-measures-2026-midterm
6. AP (via WKRC Local 12), “Trump defends data centers in Ohio as he rallies to boost Husted in a tight Senate race” (2026-10-03). local12.com/news/nation-world/trump-defends-data-centers-in-
7. The Washington Sun, “Trump Says Communities That Oppose Data Centers Will End Up 'Backwards and Poor'” (2026-08-31). washingtonsun.com/trump-white-house/trump-data-centers-const
8. Route Fifty, “Voters reject data centers in local ballot initiatives” (2026-11-04). route-fifty.com/artificial-intelligence/2026/11/voters-rejec
9. KCRA 3, “Voters overwhelmingly reject data centers in their communities on Election Day” (2026-11-05). kcra.com/article/voters-reject-data-centers-midterm-election

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