Data center bans/restrictions pass in 14 Ohio locations… early tally

Ohio voters in at least 14 localities approved bans or restrictions on data centers in initial counts from balloting held December 3, with 21 measures across 18 jurisdictions put to voters, according to Fortune. The measures were not uniform: they included caps on facility power use, requirements for resident approval of large developments, and zoning changes, as catalogued by the Ohio Economic Development Association. Trenton's Issue 17, for example, would limit a data center's power demand to under 25 MW. The results signal grassroots resistance to the power and land demands of data center buildouts in a key Midwest market. Ohio's secretary of state lists the tallies as unofficial and continues to update them, so final outcomes and any litigation or developer pushback are the next things to watch.