US Governance — 2026-04-08

Port Washington Passes First US Anti-Data Center Referendum, Targeting Stargate Campus

Port Washington, Wisconsin, voters approved the nation's first anti-data center referendum by a 66-34 margin, requiring city leaders to obtain voter approval before granting tax incentives exceeding $10 million. The measure targets a $15 billion OpenAI-Oracle-Vantage AI campus that is part of the Trump administration's Stargate initiative. The referendum does not block construction but adds a public approval requirement for large tax incentive packages, establishing a precedent for local pushback against AI infrastructure expansion.

Analysis
The 66-34 margin establishes that local opposition to AI infrastructure can win decisively even when a project has White House backing. The precedent, requiring voter approval for tax incentives above $10M, does not block construction but raises the cost of future Stargate-linked projects. If replicated in other municipalities, the referendum model could fragment the administration's centralized AI infrastructure strategy into a patchwork of local consent requirements.

2 sources

Nation's first anti-data center referendum passes in Wisconsin - The Hill
Wisconsin town becomes first to restrict data centers - Washington Examiner