Ohio Governor Voter Guide: Acton, Ramaswamy and Kissick on Data Centers and Property Taxes
Three candidates are on the ballot for Ohio governor in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election: Democrat Amy Acton, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Libertarian Don Kissick.
The Digital Free Press voter guide video for this race compares the candidates on the two issues the Statehouse News Bureau calls the top two in this year's race: the data center boom and rising property taxes. According to the Ohio Capital Journal, all three candidates have proposed some form of moratorium on new data centers unless certain conditions are met. Here is where each stands, based on the video, the candidates' own statements and Ohio reporting.
Amy Acton (Democrat)
Acton was the state's health director during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Vindicator.
On data centers, the video says Acton backs a conditional moratorium until data centers cover their own utility costs. Her campaign site says she supports a moratorium "to ensure they cover one hundred percent of their utility costs." She would also require building on brownfields and previously developed industrial sites and union construction labor, the Capital Journal reported. "We are absolutely open, but we're not for sale," Acton said.
On property taxes, the video says Acton promises targeted cuts. She has proposed raising the income cap for the homestead exemption to $50,000 and a rebate of up to $1,000 for qualifying homeowners whose property tax bill rises more than 4% in a year, The Vindicator reported.
Vivek Ramaswamy (Republican)
Ramaswamy is a biotech entrepreneur, according to The Vindicator.
On data centers, the video says Ramaswamy opposes tax abatements and wants data centers to cover their neighbors' electricity. Under his plan, new data centers would pay full property taxes, and excess power from their plants would go to the surrounding community through a power purchase agreement, according to the Capital Journal and the Statehouse News Bureau. "In the immediate community, the benefit zone of that community, you will actually not pay for electric bills at all, not paid for by taxpayers," he said, later clarifying that residents would not pay for the power component of the bill.
On property taxes, the video says Ramaswamy would roll them back to pre-pandemic levels. "One of the things I pledge to do is to reset the property tax baseline to where it was a few years ago, before the end of the pandemic," he told The Vindicator.
Don Kissick (Libertarian)
Kissick's campaign site lists data centers, property taxes and limits on government surveillance among his issues.
On data centers, the video says Kissick wants a moratorium on all new construction. He has called for an immediate moratorium and statewide rules, with no nondisclosure agreements, no special tax incentives for developers and centers that generate their own energy, the Capital Journal reported. "Ohioans need room to breathe, and the land rush to stop, until permanent statewide standards are in place," Kissick said.
On property taxes, the video says Kissick wants to end them entirely. "We are in favor of the end property tax amendment," his campaign site says, adding that it prefers "local consumption based funding."
Where to Follow the Candidates
Amy Acton: @amyactonoh on X. Vivek Ramaswamy: @VivekGRamaswamy on X. Don Kissick: @DonCKissick on X and @donkissick on Instagram.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. This guide is for information only; The Digital Free Press does not endorse any candidate.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: Ohio Capital Journal, "All candidates for Ohio governor have now called for restrictions on data center boom" (Aug. 10, 2026): https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/08/10/all-candidates-for-ohio-governor-have-now-called-for-restrictions-on-data-center-boom/ ; Statehouse News Bureau, "Republican candidate for Ohio governor expands on property tax rollback, data centers plans" (Sept. 4, 2026): https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2026-09-04/republican-candidate-for-ohio-governor-expands-on-property-tax-rollback-data-centers-plans ; The Vindicator, "Ramaswamy, Acton discuss property taxes, data centers, death penalty, more" (Oct. 17, 2026): https://www.vindy.com/news/local-news/2026/10/ramaswamy-acton-discuss-property-taxes-other-issues/ ; Amy Acton campaign, Data Centers: https://actonforgovernor.com/issue/data-centers/ ; Don Kissick campaign, On the Issues: https://donkissick.com/on-the-issues
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