Of 45 data center ballot measures in this week’s elections, only one went in the industry’s favor: Harwood, North Dakota, a town of about 940 people near Fargo, per Fortune.
About 75% of voters rejected Measure 2, which would have required independent reviews and public hearings for big industrial projects like the 160-acre Applied Digital data center being built there for Oracle.
The mayor says the data center will bring in $1.65 million in taxes by 2028, and opponents of the measure warned it would cost taxpayers up to $544,000. The group behind the measure says residents voted on affordability.