High energy bills and data centers popping up in Black neighborhoods across Georgia may be on the minds of many voters this week as they cast ballots in two Public Service Commission races that could impact how much money millions of people pay for power for the foreseeable future.
PSC Commissioners Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson are the two Republican incumbents vying for reelection against Democratic challengers Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard. Fitz Johnson and Hubbard are competing for a seat in PSC District 3, which includes metro Atlanta. Echols and Alicia Johnson are competing in PSC District 2, which includes Savannah and most of the state’s Atlantic coastal region.
Why this race matters
The Public Service Commission is the five-member regulatory body that governs utility providers for most of the state, including 2.7 million customers of Georgia Power, metro Atlanta’s largest energy company. PSC commissioners have taken heat this year for approving six Georgia Power rate hikes over the past two years, resulting in residential customers paying an estimated $516 more annually on their electric bill than they were in 2022.
This year’s PSC races may be more critical for Black Georgians, who often pay more than most for electricity in one of the worst states for high utility costs in America. In recent years, some Georgians have complained about energy bills being as high as their monthly rent.
Winning the two statewide office races are a big priority for the Democratic National Committee, which confirmed on Monday that its state party division, the Association of State Democratic Committees, has raised more than $100,000 to help turn out the vote for Hubbard and Alicia Johnson.
The DNC confirmed via email on Monday that its vice chair, Jane Kleeb, will be campaigning in Georgia this week along with Georgia Democratic Party chair Charlie Bailey. Hundreds of Democratic volunteers will be calling, texting and doing “on the ground” mobilization work until election day.
“This is the first time we’ve done something like this for a regulatory body race,” a DNC spokesperson told Capital B Atlanta on Monday. “It’s vastly important. It’s lowering utility bills. We would argue this is one of the most important elections on the ballot.”
The Republican National Committee did not respond to a request for comment.
The candidates
Echols and Fitz Johnson have faced criticism for receiving thousands in campaign contributions from Georgia Power-affiliated donors and other utility companies they regulate. Both men told Capital B Atlanta earlier this year that those contributions have no influence on whether they approve utility company rate hikes.
Fitz Johnson is the West Atlanta military veteran and owner of ASID Group International LLC., a professional services provider, who has campaigned on keeping utility rates affordable, improving grid reliability, and increasing sustainability.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever been in the political arena, but it takes money to do this, a lot of money and a lot of time,” Fitz Johnson told Capital B Atlanta in April. “If you start picking and choosing who gets to donate to your campaign, I think that can get a little dicey.”
Johnson didn’t respond on Monday to a phone call requesting additional comment.
Echols told Capital B Atlanta on Monday that Georgia Conservations Voters, a progressive environmental advocacy group, is spending $2.2 million to defeat him and Fitz Johnson. The group confirmed on Monday that its political action committee, Georgia Conservation Voters Action Fund, has raised $2.2 million for Hubbard and Alicia Johnson’s campaigns.
“That group has their own agenda and their own donor base, so I am glad to have what donations I have been able to garner — all legal contributions per Georgia law,” Echols said in an emailed statement.
Echols is a Baptist minister from Hoschton who wants to replace fossil fuel with nuclear, solar, and battery storage power in addition to increasing home solar adoption among Georgia residents.
He has made establishing a moratorium on Georgia Power rate hikes one of his top campaign priorities this year. He noted that he and the other PSC commissioners approved a plan in July to halt Georgia Power rate hikes for the next three years, a decision he’s spent weeks telling voters on the campaign trail across the state.
“People need to know we heard them and took action to rein in rates, and make sure data centers don’t impact people’s light bill,” Echols said.
Hubbard and Alicia Johnson have both centered their campaigns on being self-proclaimed better advocates for clean energy and for working Georgians struggling with high utility costs.
Hubbard is a renewable energy project developer for Cygnus Solar Power, a solar and battery storage project developer, who wants to stop Georgia Power rate hikes, increase PSC accountability, and ensure data center owners aren’t passing off their infrastructure costs onto residential Georgia Power customers.
“I intend to represent the people of Georgia no matter where they come from, but in particular those folks who have not had a voice in that commission,” Hubbard told Capital B Atlanta on Monday.
Alicia Johnson is a health care administrator from Savannah who wants to strengthen community protections and advocacy on the PSC, conduct a mandatory energy burden analyses during rate case examinations, and design targeted low income and environmental equity programs for the regulatory body.
She said she believes her campaign messaging and Hubbard’s are resonating with underserved Georgia communities.
“Good public policy is people-centered policy,” Johnson told Capital B Atlanta on Monday. “I am a leader who not only centers the needs of people in policymaking decisions. I empower them to also advocate, from self to system, educate them about the process, and bring them to the table with me.”
Early voting in the race ends Friday. Election Day voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 4. Only 4.5% of eligible voters have cast ballots early as of 12:05 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the secretary of state’s office.
Read More:
- Meet the Candidates Who May Decide What Happens With Your Electric Bill
- Georgia’s Data Centers Are Multiplying Fast — and Largely Untracked
Correction: Fitz Johnson is the Republican iincumbent for the Public Service Commission District 3 seat, and Tim Echols is the Republican iincumbent for the District 2 seat. An earlier version of this story misstated the races they were competing in.
