Politics
Data Centers Could Face Voter Approval Under Proposed 2028 Massachusetts Ballot Question
A new campaign wants Massachusetts voters to decide the fate of data centers in 2028, proposing a ballot question that would require two-thirds local approval and strict water and power safeguards. The effort, backed by a Democratic state senator, comes as a massive Kraft-affiliated campus is proposed in Sutton and as polling shows broad public opposition to new facilities.
A newly formed advocacy group is launching a campaign to put data center restrictions before Massachusetts voters in 2028, aiming to give host communities a direct say over the power-hungry facilities that have proliferated across the state.
The Committee to Restrict Data Centers has filed an initiative petition that would go further than the executive order Gov. Maura Healey issued in September. Under the proposal, any data center project would need approval from two-thirds of voters in the host community. Developers would also have to submit detailed water usage plans and demonstrate a power strategy that does not drive up local electric rates.
Healey's executive order, by contrast, requires data center developers to enter into agreements with municipalities and mandates that they bring their own energy supply or cover the costs they impose on the grid.
The ballot campaign is backed by state Sen. John Velis, a Westfield Democrat, who said residents across the state have raised alarms about the consequences of the buildout.
"The completion and proposed construction of data centers around the state has caused local community groups to organize to either stop or delay new centers," Velis said in a statement. "Concerns over the cost of electricity, environmental uncertainty, water usage and turbines that run 24 hours a day, that sound like jet engines are just some of the complaints residents I have heard from all over the state."
To qualify for the 2028 ballot, the campaign must collect 80,000 signatures.
The announcement lands as a sprawling data center campus is being proposed in Sutton. Town officials say groups affiliated with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft have put forward a plan calling for 10 buildings that would draw 900 megawatts of power, while offering major tax benefits to residents.
The push for restrictions reflects growing public unease with the rapid expansion of data centers, which power cloud computing and artificial intelligence but consume enormous amounts of electricity and water. Exit polling from the 2026 midterm elections found that 76% of respondents said they would oppose a new data center in their community, with many citing environmental and resource impacts.
Industry groups that support data centers dispute claims that the facilities raise electricity rates. They argue that the economic benefits and tax breaks associated with the projects can help address the state's affordability crisis.
If the campaign succeeds, Massachusetts voters would weigh in directly on the future of the industry in 2028, setting up a high-stakes fight over energy policy, local control and the state's climate goals.