Ohio voters back data center bans or restrictions in at least 14 communities

Voters in at least 14 Ohio communities approved bans or other restrictions on data center development on Election Day, including Trenton, where a ban on facilities larger than 25 megawatts passed with nearly 80% support, casting doubt on a 250-megawatt project already under construction.

Voters in Trenton, Ohio, approved a ban on building data centers larger than 25 megawatts, one of at least 14 Ohio communities that approved bans or other restrictions on data center developments on Tuesday, Spectrum News reported. The Trenton measure passed with 79.68% support, according to the Butler County Board of Elections.

"I will never forget that number," said Lori Blankenship, co-founder of Woodsdale and Trenton Environmental Resistance, or W.A.T.E.R., the group that pushed the issue onto the ballot after raising concerns about noise, diesel generators, water consumption and emissions from large facilities. Members said they fought city leaders and went to the Ohio Supreme Court to get the question before voters.

The vote raises questions about a 250-megawatt data center already being built by Prologis in Trenton's industrial park. "Our attorneys say that they'd be limited to a 25-megawatt facility," Blankenship said. "Right now we don't know." The group said its next focus will be a recall petition aimed at city leadership.

Map of data center infrastructure in the United States, 2025 (NREL)

The Ohio results add to a wider backlash. Ballot efforts limiting data center development succeeded in many states on Tuesday, crystallizing political opposition to data centers and other aspects of artificial intelligence, Reuters reported, as AI-related stocks slid for a second straight day after the midterms.

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