Data centers are on the ballot in Ohio.
A statewide constitutional amendment to ban construction of large data centers failed to make the November ballot this year − but voters in 18 Ohio municipalities will still get to vote on data center local ballot initiatives.
It's the most of any state, according to a Ballotpedia count of data center-related ballot measures. Illinois follows with just seven data center measures in November.
Most, but not all, ballot measures are bans on the construction of new data centers. Other measures could establish new zoning regulations, require data center developers to provide financial guarantees or detail how government officials can negotiate with developers.
Where are the municipalities voting on data center bans?
The following 11 municipalities will have data center
bans on the ballot: Hubbard, Sunbury, Pataskala, Urbana, Oregon, Defiance, Upper Sandusky, Piqua, Granville, Conneaut and Trenton.
Ten of these ballot measures would ban data centers that use over 25 megawatts of electricity a month. The measure in Urbana would ban all data centers, except those that use less than 7.5 megawatts.
The vote in Trenton comes after months of tension over two proposed data centers near or bordering the Butler County city, including one for Amazon Web Services.
Trenton residents will get to vote on whether to ban large data centers from the city this November. The ballot issue comes after the Ohio Supreme Court found the Trenton City Council "disregarded" the law by not certifying a resident-led petition in August.
However, the ban may not stop the 18-building Amazon data center.
The data center is planned for land located just outside Trenton in St. Clair and Madison townships. Trenton tried to annex the land for the project, but withdrew its petition in September. City staff said during a council presentation Sept. 3 that Issue 17 would only apply to data centers "within city limits.
What are the other measures?
Seven other municipalities have measures related to data centers that don't ban the developments completely but add new regulations.
- Ashville: Voters will decide whether to uphold or reverse its village council's agreement and negotiations with EdgeConneX to build two data centers
- Grove City: This charter amendmentwould require a voter approval for future large-scale developments, including those that use more than 20 megawatts of electricity or 500,000 gallons of water.
- Monroe and Sprigg Townships in Adams County: If passed, these measures would establish new zoning regulations for unincorporated areas that would make it easier to regulate data center development.
- Monroeville: This is an "advisory question" that asks voters if they "support the Village of Monroeville allowing data center development within the Village limits." It would not, by itself, ban data centers.
- Perry: This measure, if passed, would require developers that seek tax abatements or other financial incentives to offer the village other financial guarantees.
- Wilmington: This Ohio city has four referendums on the ballot. These referendums each ask voters to decide whether to uphold or reject rezoning for parcels of land to accommodate a data center project. The Ohio Supreme Court stopped a separate initiative that would have created new data center regulations in Wilmington from appearing on the ballot in September.
Will there be a statewide amendment?
A statewide amendment to the Ohio constitution to ban data centers will not appear on the November 2026 ballot. However, the grassroots organization Conserve Ohio is collecting signatures to get the issue on the ballot in 2027.
Conserve Ohio is pushing to add an amendment that would ban the construction of data centers that use over 25 megawatts of energy per month. The group's goal is to reach 413,000 signatures. Conserve Ohio has collected around 140,000 signatures, according to its website.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Across Ohio, data centers are on local ballots
