uspol, AI
AI data center questions were on 45 ballots, separate from the 100s of ballots featuring candidates with strong opinions on AI & data centers.
Only one of them went in AI's favor: Harwood, ND, a suburb north of Fargo, with fewer than 1,000 voters.
To the question "AI?," the rest of the country gave a resounding "No!" answer. There's some hope yet.
Business Insider, undated, "This tiny North Dakota town was the only place to vote in support of data centers": https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-data-center-backlash-vote-election-harwood-north-dakota-2026-11?op=1
@arielmt ...do they even know what a data center is?
@bridgeenjoyer 🤷♀️ Probably a big box store no one can shop at or go to.
@arielmt maybe they read it as dating center since only 4 people live in north Dakota.
@bridgeenjoyer Please don't be so dismissive of the countryside. Fargo isn't that small, and as the story says, the rest of rural America (including my neck of the woods) saw what techbro carpetbaggers actually bring and told them to keep pounding dirt.
@bridgeenjoyer I think what happened is the town's mayor sold out, then sold just enough FUD about economic opportunities for the townsfolk to vote against their own interests.