Public Service Commission District 3 candidate Peter Hubbard cruised to victory Tuesday night over fellow Democratic primary contender Keisha Sean Waites. In a runoff race marked by low voter turnout, the outcome could impact how much many Georgians pay for electricity in the future.
Hubbard unofficially received a whopping 58.18% of votes cast in the race to Waites’ 41.82% despite trailing her by a wide margin of more than 16,000 votes on primary election day in June. Waites failed last month to secure the legally required 50% plus one majority to avoid a runoff race, which allowed Hubbard time to secure his come-from-behind win.
Black Georgians, who made up the majority (57,606) of voters who cast ballots in the race, according to data from the secretary of state’s office, likely played a decisive role in the victory for Hubbard, who is white, over Waites, who is Black. White voters submitted 40,432 ballots in the contest, an SOS spokesperson confirmed.
The candidates’ stances on blocking rate hikes for Georgia Power may have played a role in the race’s outcome. During the spring, Hubbard was one of the candidates who told Capital B Atlanta that he was against raising Georgia Power electricity rates on residential customers moving forward.
“Yes, I would support blocking Georgia Power rate increases,” he said. “[Residential customers] have already borne the brunt of these rate hikes. … As one commissioner, I’ll keep it locked in place and encourage my colleagues to do the same.”
Read More: Low Turnout for High Stakes PSC Election Results in Key Runoff
Hubbard, 45, is the founder of the Georgia Center for Energy Solutions who has spent the past six years pushing for lower costs and cleaner energy during PSC meetings at the group’s offices in Atlanta.
He watched the returns come in from his home in Edgewood on Tuesday night, and thanked primary voters for choosing him to take on incumbent Fitz Johnson in their November general election matchup.
“I am grateful to be nominated the Democratic PSC candidate for District 3,” Hubbard told Capital B Atlanta via text message Tuesday night. “The PSC general election this Nov. 4 matters to all Georgians because power bills are skyrocketing, no one is holding the current Republican PSC accountable, and voters have the power to change that.”
The five-member PSC is the regulatory body that sets rate prices for utility companies, including Georgia Power, the state’s largest electricity provider. Only 114,400 of Georgia’s estimated 7.4 million active voters participated in the Democratic primary runoff race between Waites and Hubbard, according to unofficial state election data.
That’s less than 2% of eligible voters.
Advocates argue Black voters, whose energy bills tend to be higher than most due to many having less energy efficient homes, may have more to lose in this election in a state with some of the highest utility bills in the nation.
PSC commissioners have taken heat for approving six Georgia Power rate hikes over the past two years, resulting in the average Georgia Power residential customer paying $516 more per year for electricity.
Read More: How This Statewide Election Impacts Your Power Bills
In May, Georgia Power agreed not to raise its residential electricity rates for the next three years. PSC Commissioners unanimously approved that proposal on July 1.
Johnson and PSC District 2 incumbent Tim Echols, both Republicans, are up for reelection this fall. Democrat Alicia Johnson will face off against Echols.
Correction: An earlier version of this story included incomplete vote totals for the PSC District 3 Democratic primary runoff.
