Illinois Voters Weigh Data Center Referendums On November Ballot

Voters in four cities in Madison County have an advisory vote on the construction and operation of data centers on the ballot in November: Chouteau, Granite City, Nameoki and Venice. Joliet residents and voters in Morgan County face similarly worded advisory questions.

A spring poll of 800 likely 2026 voters from the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition revealed that 68% of respondents backed regulations on data centers and 11% were undecided.

Illinois is already significantly lagging other states in data center investment, with neighboring states like northern Indiana and southeast Wisconsin attracting investment interest.