Amazon's $2 Billion Ohio Data Center Blocked by Voter Referendum
nashnova research
Voters in Sunbury, Ohio approved a charter amendment banning large data centers by 78.6%, directly blocking Amazon's planned $2 billion facility. This means → even when a tech giant is ready to spend, local voters can stop the project at the ballot box.
What did Sunbury vote on, and what was the result?
In the November 3 election, 2,809 voted yes and 763 voted no, passing a city charter amendment.
The amendment bans data centers with monthly average or peak power consumption above 25 megawatts.
This means → Amazon's planned data center campus would almost certainly exceed the threshold, putting the project on a direct collision course with the new law.
Where does Amazon's project stand now?
Amazon had planned to invest $2 billion in a data center campus at Sunbury's business and technology park, projecting 50 permanent jobs.
In November 2024, the city approved tax incentives for Amazon; but in April this year, the city council unanimously passed a moratorium on new data centers through January 31, 2027.
The critical detail: Amazon and Sunbury have not signed a development agreement, leaving the project's future uncertain.
An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on whether the vote affects the company's broader expansion plans, saying only that it would continue working with local communities.
Is this pushback limited to Sunbury?
No. In neighboring Granville, 82.4% of voters backed a data center ban; in Trenton, roughly 80% approved a similar restriction.
All 11 charter amendments restricting large data centers across Ohio are on track to pass — despite tech companies and business groups spending over $400,000 lobbying against them.
In plain terms = communities across Ohio are telling data centers "not in my backyard," and the lobbying money isn't changing their minds.
What about the rest of the country?
In Joliet Township, Illinois, voters rejected a non-binding measure supporting an AI data center by roughly three to one.
Across 10 states on November 3, there were 41 data-center-related ballot measures; 28 aimed to restrict construction. Ohio led with 21.
In Texas, newly elected governor Gina Hinojosa had called for a moratorium on new data centers until the state legislature establishes stronger protections for residents.
This reflects a shift: resistance to data centers has grown from a local nuisance issue into a nationwide political force.
Will political pushback slow the industry down?
Goldman Sachs' pre-election research concluded that political opposition has limited near-term practical impact on U.S. data center development.
Goldman raised its year-end 2026 U.S. data center capacity forecast by 5 gigawatts to 64 gigawatts.
This means → at the macro level, the industry's expansion momentum is intact; at the micro level, individual projects in specific communities can be shut down entirely — Amazon's Sunbury project is a case in point.
市场有风险，内容仅供研究参考，不构成投资建议。