Local ballot results in 2026 showed support for tighter data center rules, while Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said Friday, Nov. 6, that he expects U.S. expansion to continue amid debate over AI infrastructure.
Ballotpedia's tally found majorities favored greater limits in at least 46 of roughly 50 local data center ballot measures.
Hassett told CNBC in an interview Friday that the measures would not change the near-term schedule for planned facilities. He expects later construction to continue across the country, with states led by governors more receptive to data centers likely to attract more development. He also suggested that local attitudes could shift as residents consider the facilities' benefits.
The administration has cast domestic data center construction as important to U.S. efforts to compete in artificial intelligence, giving local siting disputes a national policy dimension. In CNBC's Voter Poll, 56% of midterm voters said data centers were a crucial or major issue. Among voters who considered the issue crucial, 62% favored the generic Democratic candidate.
President Donald Trump reaffirmed his support for the industry in a Truth Social post Friday, Nov. 6. He backed what he calls “Super Intelligence (SI)” and described states hosting the facilities as potential beneficiaries.
Hassett also told CNBC that uncertainty over how the incoming congressional majority might affect data center policy contributed to Thursday's tech-led market decline. He said the broader economy remained strong.
