Mandan city commission approves December 15 special election on data center measure

What the primary sources show

• The Mandan City Commission met on October 20, 2026 and selected Spirit of Life Catholic Church as the polling location for a special election on December 15, pending confirmation of availability. [Mandan People Reporting News (public group)] [KFYR-TV]
• The special election will be on a ballot measure that would prohibit large-scale and multiple data centers with electrical capacity or combined demand of 25 megawatts or more within Mandan and areas under its zoning authority. [KFYR-TV]
• The city chose one polling location instead of the three initially considered, citing the need to protect election integrity and minimize costs during the paper-ballot election. [KFYR-TV]
• Absentee ballots are expected to be available starting November 5. [KFYR-TV]
• The full text of the measure will be published in the Mandan News and on the city of Mandan's website. [KFYR-TV]
• A yes vote would approve the measure, while a no vote would reject it. [KFYR-TV]

What they left out / still unanswered

• Has Spirit of Life Church confirmed its availability for December 15?
• What is the exact ballot language voters will see on December 15?
• What prompted the initiated ordinance to restrict hyperscale data centers?

Official line vs. how each source framed it

• Mandan People Reporting News (public group): Social media announcement in Mandan People Reporting News group about the commission's selection of Spirit of Life Church and the ballot wording decision. Read it →
• Mandan People Reporting News (public group): Identical post in Mandan People Reporting News group. Read it →
• Bismarck people reporting the news (public group): Same social media announcement shared in Bismarck people reporting the news group. Read it →
• Bismarck Community Buzz (public group): Same social media announcement shared in Bismarck Community Buzz group. Read it →
• Bismarck people reporting the news (public group): Identical post in Bismarck people reporting the news group. Read it →
• Bismarck Community Buzz (public group): Identical post in Bismarck Community Buzz group. Read it →
• KFYR-TV: Professional news coverage providing specific details about the 25 megawatt threshold, the reasoning behind selecting one polling location, and a direct quote from Mandan city administrator Jim Neubauer on election integrity. Read it → · Ads

701 News writes these summaries from the sources above and checks every sentence against them. Read the originals for the full reporting. Corrections

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