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‘Cost Me the Election’: Data Centers Trigger Voter Backlash

posted by hubie on Sunday June 28, @12:19PM   

owl writes:

https://www.newsweek.com/cost-me-the-election-data-centers-trigger-voter-backlash-12118327

A wave of voter anger over massive data center projects is beginning to reshape U.S. politics, with local officials and senior lawmakers losing elections after backing controversial developments tied to the artificial intelligence boom.

In Utah on Wednesday, State Senate President J. Stuart Adams—one of the most powerful Republicans in the state—lost his primary election after supporting a major data center development near the Great Salt Lake, in one of the clearest signs yet of the growing political risks tied to the industry.

At the local level, the fallout was just as direct. "Do I think that the data center vote cost me the election? Yes I do," former Box Elder County Commissioner Lee Perry said after conceding his primary race, after voting to advance the same project.

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Original Submission

• Re:Hey hey he's a flunkie!(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 28, @07:58PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 28, @07:58PM (#1446568)

  Nahh, all we get with that is both sides lining up at the dark-money trough come feeding time

  As I said, it's up to the voters to stop electing those that take the money, knocking "both sides" right out of the race.

  What we actually need is for every state to implement what Hawaii has, a common-sense restrictive redefinition of what a corporation is allowed to be and do, specifically written to forbid corporations to spend money on politics or political candidates.

  The far better solution is to kill the 501(c)(3) that makes all those billions in funding tax free. That's where to put our votes to good use.

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