Georgia’s Hidden Election: The Race That Actually Controls Your Power Bill

While most political attention focuses on flashier contests, Georgia voters are deciding something that hits closer to everyone’s home. Two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission are up for grabs, and the winners will have direct power over how much you pay to keep your lights on.

What Even Is This Commission?

The Public Service Commission, often called the PSC is a five-member elected board that’s been around since 1879. Think of it as the referee between you and Georgia Power. The commission decides what utilities can charge for electricity, natural gas, and landline phones. (It doesn’t touch water, sewer, or cell phones.)

More importantly, the PSC approves Georgia Power’s long-term energy plans—decisions that shape whether Georgia doubles down on coal and gas or pivots toward solar and batteries.

Why Your Bill Keeps Going Up

Here’s the painful part: Georgia Power customers have been approved for six rate increases since early 2023. The average household is now paying $516 more per year—about $43 more each month. Most people’s electric bills now top $175 monthly.

The culprits? Higher natural gas prices, the massively over-budget Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion, and infrastructure upgrades. Oh, and Hurricane Helene just added nearly $1 billion in storm recovery costs that Georgia Power wants customers to cover.

The PSC did freeze base rates for three years this July, but that doesn’t lock in fuel costs or storm recovery charges, so bills can still climb.

The Weird Timing

This election is three years late. A federal judge ruled in 2022 that PSC elections violated the Voting Rights Act, canceling that year’s races. After legal battles reached the Supreme Court, elections finally got rescheduled for now, meaning some commissioners have been voting on billions in rate increases without facing voters as originally planned.

Who’s Running

Every Georgia voter can vote in both races, regardless of where you live.

District 2: Tim Echols (R) vs. Alicia Johnson (D)

Tim Echols has been on the commission since 2011 and hasn’t faced voters since 2016. He’s pro-solar and nuclear (with federal cost protections), voted for all six rate increases, and points to the rate freeze as a win for consumers.

Alicia Johnson works in healthcare strategy and focuses on affordability for low-income Georgians. She calls the rate freeze “too little too late” and wants to scrutinize Hurricane Helene cost recovery while pushing harder on clean energy.

District 3: Fitz Johnson (R) vs. Peter Hubbard (D)

Fitz Johnson was appointed in 2021 and is running for the first time. He wants to keep coal and gas in the mix for “energy independence” and voted to extend coal plant operations to meet data center demand.

Peter Hubbard founded a clean energy nonprofit and has been challenging PSC decisions since 2019. He’s got detailed plans for cutting costs through solar, batteries, and smarter grid management, and he’s not shy about calling out what he sees as cozy relationships between commissioners and utilities.

The Real Fight

This comes down to two visions:

Republicans say they’re protecting Georgia’s business-friendly reputation with reliable, affordable power. They warn Democrats will close gas plants, drive up costs with environmental rules, and subsidize poorer customers at everyone else’s expense.

Democrats say Republicans just approved six rate increases and actions speak louder than accusations. They argue clean energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels and that the current approach leaves consumers vulnerable to fuel price spikes while locking Georgia into aging, polluting infrastructure.

The data center boom complicates everything. AI and cloud computing are driving massive new electricity demand, and the question is whether Georgia meets that with more coal and gas or with renewables and batteries.

The Politics

This matters beyond utility bills. Democrats haven’t won a statewide office below the federal level since 2006. A victory here would signal momentum heading into 2026, when Senator Jon Ossoff faces reelection.

The money reflects the stakes—over $2.2 million from clean energy groups supporting Democrats, with Governor Brian Kemp funding Republican campaigns with his own campaign war chest. That’s unusually heavy spending for races that typically cost under $500,000.

Republicans are worried about turnout, especially with Atlanta’s mayoral race potentially boosting Democratic voters. The race has gotten nasty, with Echols calling Johnson a “DEI specialist” bringing “wokeness to the PSC”—comments Johnson called racist dog-whistles.

How to Vote

Early voting runs through October 31. Election Day is November 4. Every registered Georgia voter can vote for both seats.

Bottom Line

The PSC might be boring, but it is supposed to protect public services and prevent consumers from footing the bill for large companies. These commissioners decide whether your monthly bill goes up or down, whether Georgia invests in 20th or 21st-century energy, and whether utility companies or consumers come first when costs need to be allocated.

Georgia tends to be a business-oriented, business-friendly state, which often means elected officials look out for businesses, like utility companies, before they look out for residents and consumers. This election allows you to tell the Public Service Commission that you’re watching.

Your power bill has jumped $40+ per month in two years. Another billion in storm costs is coming. And the energy decisions made now will shape Georgia for decades.