Beyond the Electricity Bills

Why Georgia’s Public Service Commission Election is a High-Stakes Test for Both Parties

2026 is shaping up to be a hot political year for Georgia residents, with both parties targeting a pivotal U.S. Senate race, an open contest for the Governor’s Mansion, and a host of down-ballot statewide races expected to drive voter turnout. Conversely, 2025 looks much quieter. There are only two statewide elections on the Georgia ballot this November, both for the Public Service Commission (PSC). The PSC may seem like a technocratic branch of government with little material effect on voters, but the consequences of this election are significant. This race holds the potential to alter the PSC's function and to act as a temperature check for the 2026 midterms.

The PSC regulates utility services across Georgia, aiming to ensure consumers receive safe, reliable, and reasonably priced electricity, natural gas, and telecommunications services. The Georgia General Assembly established the agency in 1879, then known as the Railroad Commission of Georgia. Since then, the state has expanded the authority of the agency significantly. The primary task of the commission is to balance the interests of the state’s citizens with the needs of utility companies to earn a reasonable return on investment. To accomplish this, the PSC has the final say over the rates charged by major utility providers, such as Georgia Power. 

This cycle, two of the five seats on the Public Service Commission are up for grabs: Districts 2 and 3. In the former, Dr. Alicia Johnson (D) is running against incumbent Commissioner Tim Echols (R), a member since 2011. District 2 covers the eastern part of the state, including Athens and Savannah. In District 3, Peter Hubbard (D) is squaring off with incumbent Fitz Johnson (R), whom Governor Brian Kemp (R) appointed in 2021 to fill a vacancy. District 3 includes much of the Atlanta metropolitan area, including Fulton and DeKalb Counties. 

The PSC election process has long been the subject of intense debate. Since 1906, voters have elected commissioners statewide. Political groups such as the Georgia Conservation Voters have challenged the at-large voting system, where all Georgia voters vote for all five districts, on the grounds that it dilutes the voting power of minority residents under the Voting Rights Act of 1965. These legal challenges resulted in cancellations of the PSC elections in 2022 and 2024. After challenges to the at-large system failed in front of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Georgia General Assembly reset the election schedule, leading to a special election this year for Districts 2 and 3. The winner of the November elections will only serve a short term, facing reelection again in 2026 for a full six-year term. 

In 2000, the state added a new rule that candidates for each district must reside in their district. Because the PSC is elected statewide, a Republican can win a majority-minority district like District 3, with a high concentration of Democratic voters, because the state's overwhelmingly Republican-leaning rural vote can outweigh an individual district’s Democratic-leaning urban majorities. The residency requirement has also been challenged in court. During the June 2025 primary election for District 3, the state disqualified Democratic candidate Daniel Blackman for failing to meet the residency requirement. Blackman disputed the finding, but an administrative judge ruled he had provided insufficient evidence to prove his residence in District 3. Votes cast for him in the primary were therefore not counted. This came as a brutal blow to Democrats, many of whom saw him as their best shot at unseating Commissioner Johnson. After Blackman was disqualified, no candidate received 50% of the vote, forcing the primary into a runoff, where Peter Hubbard defeated former Atlanta City Council member Keisha Sean Waites.

These legal challenges contributed to five years straight without PSC elections, bringing the commission under a harsh spotlight. The public scrutiny has been magnified by the fact that the commission has approved multiple requests by Georgia Power in the past five years to increase electricity rates, including six rate hikes between 2023 and 2025. At the beginning of 2025, the average Georgia household was paying $516 more annually for electricity compared to just two years prior. 

The PSC race, as the only statewide election this year, is unlikely to receive the same flood of national attention that Georgia is expected to receive in 2026, with the governorship and a crucial Senate seat at stake. Both parties, however, view the PSC race as a strong indication of voter sentiment for the crucial 2026 midterms. Low turnout is always a risk for these under-the-radar races, but the PSC’s recently elevated profile may drive higher turnout rates. The June 17 primary elections still saw an extremely low turnout of only 2.8 percent statewide. The November 4 general election, however, is expected to draw a higher turnout statewide, particularly with contentious local races, including mayoral and city council elections. 

The low-key nature of the race has even led incumbent Tim Echols (R) in District 2 to be quoted by Politico as “praying for torrential rain” on Election Day, as Republicans hope for depressed turnout to hold on to his seat. Still, with electricity costs continuing to rise and growing debate over energy policy, the PSC races hold stronger consequences for Georgia voters than they may realize. This attention to the race may cement 2025 as a critical year in the historical trajectory of Georgia politics. While 2026 will bring the major political fireworks, this 2025 election could be a bellwether, revealing Democratic engagement levels and testing Republican incumbents’ resilience in a state that frequently experiences close, high-stakes elections.