Incumbent Republican Tim Echols easily won one of two contested primaries for Georgia’s Public Service Commission on Tuesday, and two Democrats will face off in a runoff this summer for the other contested spot.
The Georgia runoff will set the stage for the first full election to the PSC since 2020 and comes at a pivotal time for consumers. The dominant utility, Atlanta-based Georgia Power, is forecasting a surge in electricity demand expected to put more pressure on electricity bills. Rates for the utility’s 2.7 million customers have risen steadily in recent years, driven in part by costs of bringing two new nuclear reactors online at Plant Vogtle.
Georgia is one of 10 states where voters choose who sets their utility rates. Commissioners are supposed to be elected to staggered six-year terms, but the 2022 election was upended by a lawsuit challenging the use of statewide elections to fill positions that represent geographic districts, which plaintiffs said dilutes the strength of Black voters.
PSC elections have been snarled in litigation since then, denying voters a say in who sets their electricity rates.
