Trump's AI push faces a local ballot test

Voters head to the polls Tuesday as roughly 20 communities decide whether to ban, pause, or limit data center construction—an early test of President Donald Trump’s push to expand facilities needed for American artificial intelligence. Many measures come in states including Ohio, Florida, Maine, and Kansas, following hundreds of local moratoriums and bans already enacted over concerns about electricity, water, and land use. Thirteen of the 20 ballot initiatives are in Republican-led districts, signaling a split inside Trump’s own base. Trump recently softened his stance by suggesting developers pay communities a “dividend,” and the White House earlier reached voluntary power-supply agreements with major tech companies.