LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Data centers are a tough sell.

According to a recent poll from Napolitan News, just 30% of voters initially favor building new data centers in their community. That’s down significantly from 49% in May.

Of the 62% opposed to data centers, the environmental impact appears to be a major concern. Fifty-one percent cite water usage by data centers as a top concern.

As Michigan moves from the primary to the November general election, it’s worth noting that the poll shows voters would be more likely to vote for a candidate who opposes data centers by a 49% to 28% margin.

Here’s the twist: If data centers are required to produce their own electricity, the Napolitan poll found that 64% would be more likely to choose a candidate who backed that position. In addition, 28% said they would prefer a candidate who sought to ban new data centers entirely.

Last month, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced her “Affordable and Responsible Growth Action Plan,” which calls on data center companies to sign a pledge with the state. “Any data center company that wants to invest in Michigan must ensure working families do not pay a single penny for data center development or operations, protect our natural resources, and create local, good-paying jobs,” Gov. Whitmer said.

However, critics argue the Whitmer administration isn’t transparent when it comes to data centers. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination on Tuesday, is married to Ryan Friedrichs. He is a vice president at Related Companies, the parent company of Related Digital, which is leading the proposed data center project in Saline Township in partnership with Oracle and OpenAI.