Ohio's Local Ballots Now Center of National Data Center Regulatory Vote

Sixteen of the data center measures appearing on U.S. local ballots this Tuesday seek to either ban or limit the size of facilities—often capping them at 25 MW—while 12 others would prevent such restrictions. Ohio is the primary battleground for these regulations, hosting 21 of the 35 total local data center measures nationwide.

The concentration of local votes follows a Bank of America report that identified the Texas governor's race as the most critical election for the sector this cycle, given a 474 GW interconnection queue that is 90% data center related. While BofA noted the growth potential in Texas, it warned that local zoning, permitting, and development agreements are now the more immediate constraints on industry expansion than gubernatorial support.