Up and down the ballot, data centers are becoming a motivating issue for voters
During last week’s election, voters across Wisconsin cast ballots for judges, school boards, county boards, mayors and city alders. And from the northwest to the southeast, some people voted with one big issue on their minds: data centers.
As communities across Wisconsin grapple with these proposed developments — and the commensurate possibility for economic opportunity, or consumer costs and environmental degradation — voters are increasingly tuned into this issue, experts say.
“Data centers are bringing out … a broader range of concerns from community members,” said Hannah Wiseman, who directs the Center for Energy Law and Policy at Penn State’s law school. “This is drawing growing political interest, and candidates are certainly going to get more questions about their stance on this issue.”
In Wisconsin, increased awareness has translated into a more negative perception of these projects, across party lines. That was evident in Port Washington, where voters made national headlines when they approved a first-in-the-nation referendum to give citizens more input over data center development plans.
https://www.wpr.org/news/data-centers-elections-wisconsin-janesville-menominie