Nonprofit AI: Midterms and Data Centers

AI can feel like a tidal wave washing over all of us, impossible to resist and hard to opt out of. But last week’s U.S. midterm elections told a different story about citizen power and data center regulations, and Carolyn Woodard thinks it’s one of the clearest examples of agency we’ve seen this year. In this short episode, she looks at what voters said and what nonprofits and communities can do next.

She also returns to a tool from earlier this year that’s getting a lot more attention: community benefit agreements or CBAs, and how they can give communities a real seat at the table.

This episode covers:

• A bipartisan result: about three-quarters of U.S. voters oppose a new data center in their own community, according to the AP, with majorities in red and blue states alike.
• The ballot measures: Ballotpedia counts 40 of 41 local measures to limit data center development as approved, often by wide margins: 77% in Edgewater, Florida, and 82% in Alhambra, California.
• Beyond local races: according to the tracker Data Center Watch, a large majority of newly elected members of Congress support regulating or restricting data center development. The open question is how quickly campaign promises turn into action.
• “Nonpartisan doesn’t mean neutral”: nonprofits can advocate for their causes, provide nonpartisan voter guides and help people turn out, all within the rules for 501(c)(3)s.
• Showing up beats opting out: choosing not to use AI is a legitimate, informed decision. But opting out sends companies a very small signal, while showing up at planning meetings, town halls and the ballot box changes what gets built, and where.
• Who gets the next data center: as wealthier communities push back, developers may turn to rural communities and tribal lands with less capacity to organize. That’s why collective action matters.
• Community benefit agreements: what CBAs are, why some newly elected officials are interested in requiring them, and how they give communities legal standing to hold data center companies accountable over time.

Resources Mentioned:

• Voters favored limiting data center development in 40 of 41 local ballot measures on Nov. 3 – Ballotpedia News – https://news.ballotpedia.org/2026/11/06/voters-favored-limiting-data-center-development-in-40-of-41-local-ballot-measures-on-nov-3/
• Opposition to AI data centers in the midterms foreshadows tougher regulations ahead (AP) – PBS NewsHour – https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/opposition-to-ai-data-centers-in-the-midterms-foreshadows-tougher-regulations-ahead
• Support for Data Center Regulation Gains Ground in 2026 Midterm Elections – Data Center Watch – https://datacenterwatch.substack.com/p/support-for-data-center-regulation
• Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting – Erin Brockovich – https://brockovichdatacenter.com/
• Community Wins & Legislation Map – Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting – https://www.brockovichdatacenter.com/community-and-legislation.html#map
• Why community benefit agreements are necessary for data centers – Brookings Institution – https://www.brookings.edu/articles/why-community-benefit-agreements-are-necessary-for-data-centers/
• Community Benefits Agreement Template for Data Centers – NAACP (via Columbia Law School) – https://climate.law.columbia.edu/sites/climate.law.columbia.edu/files/content/NAACP%20CBA%20Data%20Center%20Template%202026.pdf
• Ballot Measures and Public Charities: Yes, You Can Influence That Vote – Bolder Advocacy – https://bolderadvocacy.org/resource/ballot-measures-and-public-charities-yes-you-can-influence-that-vote/
• Nonprofits and Elections resources – Nonprofit VOTE – https://www.nonprofitvote.org/

_______________________________
Start a conversation :)

• Register to attend a webinar in real time, and find all past transcripts at https://communityit.com/webinars/
• email Carolyn at cwoodard@communityit.com
• on LinkedIn 
• on reddit/r/nonprofitITmanagement
• on the Community IT website

Thanks for listening.