# OpenAI offers voluntary data center commitments after midterm voters reject new facilities

> Original title: After midterm rout, OpenAI tries to win over communities it needs for AI expansion

- Source: The Decoder
- Published: 2026-11-05T14:37:46.000Z
- Bad Influence: https://badinfluence.news/items/k4wko0zxl98zj9eaxatwecjmg
- Original: https://the-decoder.com/after-midterm-rout-openai-tries-to-win-over-communities-it-needs-for-ai-expansion/

## Summary

OpenAI published a National Community Compact and Policy Blueprint with voluntary commitments for future data center sites it owns and operates, and asked lawmakers to make such rules binding industry-wide. The commitments drop nondisclosure agreements in negotiations with local authorities, but trade secrets, security concerns and competitively sensitive information remain exempt. The announcement followed midterm results in which 40 of 41 local ballot measures rejected new data centers.

## Why it matters

The piece sets OpenAI's data center pledges against voter rejection and notes gaps like partner-built sites and nondisclosure exemptions, useful for judging how far the commitments reach.