Harwood Alone Backs Data Centers in Ballot Wave

On election day, voters rejected 44 of 45 data-center-related ballot propositions nationwide, according to Redbud Consulting. Harwood, North Dakota (pop. ~940) went the other way, voting 325 to 105 against a charter measure that would have required independent assessments and public hearings for large projects, while Applied Digital builds a $3 billion AI data center there.

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The near-sweep of anti-data-center ballot measures (44 of 45) signals rising local political friction for AI infrastructure developers seeking sites. Harwood's rejection of added oversight shows that where a project already brings tax revenue and jobs, local sentiment can favor developers. Applied Digital's $3 billion Harwood campus proceeds without new review requirements and is due for completion next year. Hyperscalers such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon and OpenAI face greater permitting risk, delay and community-benefit costs in most other jurisdictions. Smaller, tax-hungry municipalities with fast-track approvals and NDAs may become the preferred sites, which would concentrate buildout in friendlier locales.