Box Elder County residents won't get to vote on data center referendum, county attorney says
Box Elder County residents won’t be able to vote to reconsider an agreement opening the doors to a massive data center in the area.
Box Elder County Attorney Stephen R. Hadfield rejected three referendum applications filed in early May challenging county commissioners’ votes approving two resolutions, including adopting an interlocal agreement with developers of the Stratos Project, a data center campus proposed for 40,000 acres of unincorporated land in northern Utah.
Hadfield determined that none of the resolutions the commissioners approved could be legally referable to voters since they were considered as administrative actions, and not newly created laws.
“Because I am obligated to interpret and uphold the law, I am legally bound to reject the applications for referenda of these resolutions. I fully anticipate and appreciate that this will allow referendum sponsors who disagree with my opinion to appeal to the state courts for further guidance and resolution,” Hadfield said in a statement.
https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2026/05/28/box-elder-county-data-center-referendum-denied/