AI data center opposition has cost another Missouri official his seat. Independence City Council member John Perkins was removed from office after 68.05% of voters supported his recall in a special election, driven by his backing of tax incentives for a major data center project.
Perkins was one of five councilors who approved tax breaks exceeding EUR 5 billion for the Nebius data center being built in the area. Despite sustained community campaigns against the development ahead of a March City Council meeting, the council voted 5-2 in favor of the project.
Third official to lose a seat after the vote
Perkins is the third local official to lose office following the controversial approval. Jared Fears, who sought re-election to the city council, and Bridget McCandless, who ran for mayor, both lost their respective bids.
Perkins has not commented on the unofficial recall results. However, in a prior op-ed, he defended his position, arguing that removing him would set the city back. “You can disagree with that call, and I respect that. However, disagreement isn’t a crime, and I don’t believe it is grounds to attempt to overturn an election that happened two years ago,” Perkins wrote. “One vote is not a reason to erase the previous hard work I’ve done for my district.”
A member of the Stop the AI Data Center in Independence group framed the outcome differently. “Politicians aren’t entitled to elected positions. They’re elected by the people to serve those people. When they stop serving the people they were elected to represent, they’re voted out of office. This is democracy in action.”
Low turnout, broad national trend
Voter turnout for the recall was notably small. Of the 14,250 registered voters in Jackson County, only 1,643 cast ballots, a turnout of just 11.5%.
Independence is not an isolated case. In Festus, Missouri, voters ousted four of the eight members of its city council in a regular election in April 2026 after they approved a 360-acre data center project. A separate petition sought to recall the remaining four members, but the council rejected that measure.
Opposition to data centers has grown sharply across the country, with the number of bans and moratoriums now exceeding 500 across towns, cities, counties, and states. The resistance spans political affiliations and belief systems, complicating efforts by hyperscalers to launch new projects.
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Image: tomshardware.com
