North Dakota
US Great Plains state, capital Bismarck, with economies built on agriculture and oil.
Last refreshed: 5 November 2026
Why did a North Dakota town side with data centres?
Timeline for North Dakota
Mentioned in: Voters side against data centres in 40 of 41 votes
US Midterms 2026Mentioned in: Senate confirms Smith to 8th Circuit
US Midterms 2026Background
On 3 November 2026, voters in Harwood, North Dakota, rejected a Charter amendment that would have added review of large industrial projects such as data centres. It was the only one of 41 local data-centre measures where voters did not side against data centres, CNBC reported.
North Dakota joined the Union on 2 November 1889, the same day as South Dakota. It had 779,094 people at the 2020 census. Bismarck is the capital and Fargo the largest city. Agriculture is its largest industry, and oil from the Bakken formation has driven much of its growth, alongside food processing and technology.
Harwood, a commuter town of 794 people just north of Fargo, approved an Applied Digital data-centre project in 2025. CNBC and Ballotpedia counted the 41 measures across 10 states.
What did Harwood, North Dakota vote on in 2026?
What is the capital of North Dakota?
What is North Dakota's biggest industry?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 5 November 2026. Editorial standards.