Data centers got a slap in the face at the ballot box. These key votes show how.

Gina Hinojosa became Texas' first Democratic governor in over 30 years. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Americans don't want data centers in their backyards.

That's one of the clearest messages sent at the ballot box during Tuesday's midterm elections .

NBC News' exit poll found that 76% of voters would oppose the construction of a new data center in their community, and 56% said AI and data centers were a crucial or major factor in their vote for Congress.

As well as governors and senators who voiced opposition to data centers winning, ballots included referendums on their construction.

Goldman Sachs economists said Democratic wins at the state and local levels will likely lead to "short-term data center moratoria, potentially affecting about 45% of planned US data center capacity expansion."

More than 30 direct votes against data centers passed

Dozens of cities and small towns held referendums in which data centers were…