NBC exit poll finds 76% oppose a new data center in their community

An NBC News exit poll found that 76% of voters opposed a new data center in their community, according to Shattered’s November 9 summary of election reporting. The November 3, 2026, election also produced votes restricting development: The New York Times counted 40 of 41 local initiatives going against new projects.

Restrictions won, but the counts measure different things

The Detroit News reported that voters in at least 29 jurisdictions passed data-center bans or restrictions. That tally counts places; the Times figure counts ballot initiatives. They should not be added together as though they describe separate sets of victories.

Ohio accounted for more than half of the 40 successful initiatives, according to the Times tally summarized by Shattered. That concentration is important when reading the national total: the measures were not evenly distributed across the country.

Nor does every successful measure mean an outright ban. The reported results combine decisions limiting development with decisions preventing it. The counts therefore establish a vote for restrictions, not one uniform rule governing all affected communities. They do not provide a common measure of how much construction each jurisdiction will permit.

23%Crucial factor

NBC News reported that 23% of voters called data centers crucial to their congressional vote.

33%Major factor

Another 33% called data centers a major factor in their congressional vote, NBC News reported.

Local opposition is not a verdict on all AI

That measures willingness to host construction nearby, not whether voters reject every data center or oppose AI itself.

The congressional-vote responses answer a different question: how important voters considered the issue when choosing a candidate. As Shattered’s account notes, calling an issue major does not necessarily mean someone switched parties because of it.