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Ohio voters weigh statewide ban on data centers over 25MW

By Drooid · Oct 29, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

Ohio voters will decide on 21 local data center ballot measures on November 3, 2026.
Ten Ohio communities propose charter amendments to permanently ban large-scale data centers.
Conserve Ohio backs a constitutional amendment to ban data centers over 25 megawatts statewide.
In 2024, data centers supported over 95,000 jobs and $26.4 billion in economic output.
Labor unions have endorsed both Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown and Republican Jon Husted despite differing data-center positions.

Summary

QTS Data Centers broke ground on a $10 billion, 902-acre campus in Van Wert, Ohio.
Phase 1 will include four 650,000-sq-ft buildings, with construction slated for spring 2027.
The project will create over 1,500 construction jobs and 200 permanent QTS positions.
QTS projects $200 million in tax revenue and will fund a community program.
American Electric Power will supply dedicated electricity as QTS uses a closed-loop cooling system, with limited stream impact noted.

History

In 2009 Google completed its Council Bluffs, Iowa data-center campus, marking the company’s early expansion into the Midwest. Decades of growth—shown by a 2025 fleet-wide PUE of 1.09 and 2.6 GW of renewable power contracts—have prompted states such as Ohio, where Conserve Ohio now seeks a charter amendment to bar sites over 25 MW, echoing Iowa’s earlier dispute.

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In 2009 Google completed its Council Bluffs, Iowa data-center campus, marking the company’s early expansion into the Midwest. Decades of growth—shown by a 2025 fleet-wide PUE of 1.09 and 2.6 GW of renewable power contracts—have prompted states such as Ohio, where Conserve Ohio now seeks a charter amendment to bar sites over 25 MW, echoing Iowa’s earlier dispute.

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