Local Ballot Initiative to Regulate Data Centers
Cottonwood worked with a nonprofit in Butte, Montana named 406 People First and drafted a local ballot initiative that, if passed, will require any new or expanded data center in Butte-Silverbow County to be voted on and approved by 2/3 of registered voters. The Election Administrator approved signature gathering and informed the ballot proponents that signatures were due August 14, 2026. On July 31st, the Election Administrator told ballot proponents that enough signatures had been collected. On August 11, the Election Administrator informed ballot proponents that she had provided the wrong date and signatures collected after July 12 would not count. Cottonwood then filed this lawsuit and the court issued a Preliminary Injunction requiring the Election Administrator to certify the initiative and take the necessary steps to place the initiative on the November ballot. The court is holding a show cause hearing on August 19th for the Election Administrator to explain why the initiative should not be placed on the ballot.
This is the only surviving local ballot initiative in Montana that will address data centers this November.
Butte residents collected thousands of signatures to place the data center initiative on the November 2026 ballot.