A new poll of Central Valley voters finds overwhelming support for slowing down data center construction and putting final decisions back in voters’ hands, rather than leaving them to elected officials.
MOVE the Valley, a non-partisan coalition of grassroots organizations dedicated to advancing civic participation in California’s Central Valley, conducted the survey in collaboration with Dr. Tom K. Wong of UC San Diego’s U.S. Immigration Policy Center. They spoke with more than 700 registered voters across eight Central Valley counties, including Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tulare.
The survey found a few key takeaways. An overwhelming majority of voters favor temporarily pausing new data center construction until the effects on local communities are better understood.
About 82% of voters surveyed preferred a pause in data center expansion, while just 18% favored moving ahead. This sentiment was consistent across age groups, with younger voters (18–29) the most supportive at 89%.
Much of the uncertainty stems from voters’ unfamiliarity with the issue. Forty-five percent said they had heard nothing at all about data centers, and another 15% said they’d heard only a little.
Despite that limited awareness, initial opinion already skews negative: 52% of voters said they oppose data centers overall, compared with 18% who support them and 30% who are unsure.
The poll’s strongest point of agreement concerned who should have the final say on data center decisions. Ninety percent of those surveyed believe that voters, rather than local elected officials, should decide whether new facilities are built in their communities.
Support for direct voter decision-making was consistent across age groups and counties, suggesting the sentiment reflects less a specific grievance about data centers and more a broader desire for community control over major local development decisions.
This survey comes amid California’s ongoing data center boom, which has already sparked statewide backlash and mobilization. In Gilroy, California, Amazon’s approval to build a massive AI data center was granted at the staff level by the city’s community development director under a 1981 industrial zoning rule that required no City Council vote and no Planning Commission review.
Many residents reportedly didn’t learn about the project until construction had already begun, prompting accusations that the approval process shut the public out of a major land-use decision. Given that precedent, it’s little surprise that Central Valley residents are wary of facing a similar process without a voice in the outcome.
Opposition to data centers wasn’t rooted in a single grievance. Voters pointed to a range of concerns, led by environmental effects on surrounding communities, water use, and the potential for rising electricity costs, among others.
Beyond the numbers, a message emerges: Central Valley voters aren’t just concerned about the environmental impact of data centers, but about losing autonomy in their own communities.
