Did a data centre revolt affect the US mid-term election results?
A US midterms voter poll conducted for AP and a consortium of news organisations found that 56% of surveyed voters said data centres were a crucial or major factor in their vote, while 76% opposed the construction of a new data centre in their community. BBC Verify examined its role in the campaign and potential consequences for the AI industry. The poll suggested that hostile sentiment was considerably stronger among those who voted Democrat. Three Senate seats flipped by Democrats in Texas, Ohio and Iowa have significantly more data centres than the median across all 50 states. However, BBC Verify analysis noted that while states swinging to Democrats elected leaders calling for tighter regulations on data centres—such as construction bans, ending tax breaks, and covering energy and water costs—other factors like the cost of living also motivated voters, making it hard to attribute specific vote counts directly to data centre opposition. Experts suggest that new regulations and requirements for developers to cover grid and resource costs could raise development costs and slow down the next wave of supply.