GoKawiilHarwood, ND becomes lone US town to approve data center ballot measure
Of 41 ballot measures nationwide seeking stricter review of data center projects, voters passed 40 and rejected only one, in Harwood, North Dakota, population 845. Residents there voted roughly 3-to-1 against imposing additional reviews and hearings on a $3 billion, 1.8 million square foot facility proposed by Texas-based Applied Digital.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Residents cited by The Washington Post suggest the vote reflected resignation rather than enthusiasm: locals feared that if Harwood blocked the project, nearby Fargo would simply capture the development and its tax revenue instead. Mayor Blake Hankey's comments indicate officials viewed the facility's construction somewhere in the region as effectively unavoidable, making local approval a way to secure economic benefits rather than an endorsement of AI infrastructure itself.
- 40 of 41 nationwide ballot measures restricting data center development passed this election cycle.
- Harwood, ND was the sole town to reject added oversight, clearing the way for a $3 billion Applied Digital facility.
- Local officials and residents framed the vote as pragmatic, fearing Fargo would get the project and its tax benefits otherwise.
Source: futurism.com — Frank Landymore, 2026-11-10
Published there as: “Only One Town in America Voted in Favor to Building a New Data Center, and the Reason Why Is Bleak”
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