Residents in multiple states seek recalls over data center approvals

Residents in several states filed petitions in May and June to recall local officials who approved or advanced data center projects. The petitions targeted officials in California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas.

Michigan township faces recall effort In Lenox Township, Michigan, residents submitted a petition to recall four members of the board of trustees after learning that developers had contacted township officials about a proposed data center. Emails obtained through an open records request showed the contacts, though township officials had denied receiving any formal application.

com website appeared in May describing a “proposed advanced technology and data center campus,” but did not name the developer. At a June board meeting, residents said the community still had unanswered questions and called for greater transparency.

The board had earlier declined to extend a four-month moratorium on data center development.

Oklahoma cases In Festus, Missouri, residents filed a petition to recall the mayor and three council members after the city council approved a $6 billion data center agreement with CRG Clayco. A judge found the petition had enough signatures for a recall election, but the council rejected it.

Resident Dennis McDonald filed a legal challenge to that decision. In Yukon, Oklahoma, resident Joe Horn filed a petition to recall the mayor and vice-mayor over a proposed $1 billion data center. Vice-mayor Jeff Wootton resigned after the petition was filed.

The city had signed a non-disclosure agreement with Beltline Energy in May 2025 and later voted to sell land for the project. In nearby Luther, the city council approved a six-month moratorium on data center development.