Ohio Data Centers: Volunteers Target Ballot Initiatives in 10 Communities

Nick Owens, a lifelong Republican and attorney in Mt. Orab, Ohio, has spent months investigating 1,000 acres of farmland and trees sold to a data center developer in 2024 and 2025. The property sits in a village of 4,300 residents near Cincinnati, where the development runs adjacent to two-story homes. Nondisclosure agreements have limited public information about the project, prompting Owens and other locals to organize.

The controversy in Mt. Orab helped spark the formation of Conserve Ohio, a volunteer network spanning nearly all 88 counties in the state. The group includes Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who cite a shared desire to preserve rural life. Owens describes the coalition as a response to what he calls a hyperscale data center invasion.

This fall, Conserve Ohio is sponsoring ballot initiatives in 10 communities. These measures would amend local charters to prohibit the construction of large-scale data centers, which are primarily used to power artificial intelligence. The effort goes beyond the temporary pauses adopted by many municipal and county governments. Owens argues that the group will test whether communities actually want these facilities by putting the decision directly to voters.

The group is also preparing a petition for a state constitutional amendment that would ban large-scale data centers statewide. The goal is to place this measure before Ohio voters in 2027. The campaign aims to address the rapid growth of data centers in the state, driven by cheap land, energy infrastructure, and tax incentives.

Statewide candidates have made data centers a central issue in the upcoming midterms. Former U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown has labeled incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted the face of data centers. Brown notes that Husted, while serving as lieutenant governor, actively recruited tech companies to Ohio. Husted has responded by citing Brown's past support for the industry and has pushed a federal bill to make data centers pay for power grid upgrades. Senate Democrats blocked that bill, calling it toothless.

Linda Moodie, an independent volunteer in Fairfield, is collecting signatures for the statewide ban. On a recent evening, she set up a booth at a local Halloween celebration, distributing candy to children and petition clipboards to parents. Moodie does not trust statewide candidates to grant residents a say in the buildout if elected. She believes public concern will intensify as the issue becomes more personal.

In Mt. Orab, a county that voted 80% for President Trump in 2024, campaign yard signs are sparse. Owens notes that the data center dispute and high diesel prices have dampened Republican enthusiasm compared to the previous cycle. He describes recent comments by President Trump on social media, which suggested communities wanting data centers are seeking success and wealth, as tone deaf.

Construction at the Mt. Orab site has not yet begun. Owens says residents remain in the dark due to nondisclosure agreements. As of a recent fall day, the site remained quiet, with only bird calls audible from the edge of the property.