It’s election season yet again in Georgia.

While it won’t receive as many headlines as November’s 2024 election or the runoff elections of 2022, the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) races could determine power rates for the foreseeable future. 

The state’s PSC has the power to set rates and energy plans for Georgia Power, Georgia’s largest electric utility. They also regulate telephone and natural gas utilities in the state as well.

The primaries are set for June 17, with early voting already wrapping up after it started on May 27.

This year's election is statewide for Districts 2 and 3. While the incumbents usually serve six-year terms, the ones up for reelection have had a nine-year term so far.

That’s due to a ruling in 2022 when U.S. Judge for the Northern District of Georgia Steven Grimberg ordered Georgia’s commissioners be elected by district, not statewide.

Then, in 2023 a three judge panel in the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overrode Grimberg.

The claims were that the current system in place for PSC elections diluted the power of Black voters. Even though former President Joe Biden carried the state in 2020 and Georgia currently has two Democratic U.S. Senators, all five members of the PSC are Republicans.

Finally, the U.S. Supreme Court announced in June of last year that it wouldn’t hear a case regarding the matter, ultimately fizzling out the challenge to the way the PSC is elected. 

District 2

District 2 covers much of the eastern border of the state including Savannah and runs up to parts of northeast Georgia including Jackson, Barrow, Banks, Madison, Hart, Elbert, and Athens-Clarke Counties. 

Republican Incumbent Tim Echols was elected to serve District 2 in 2010 and has won reelection once before in 2016. He has been championing a three-year rate freeze with Georgia Power ahead of the election.

“The rate freeze is the best thing that could happen for rate payers right now,” Echols said. “I think it’s a relief to people to have this … whether it goes up in 2028 or not … I don’t think it would be a drastic [increase] in 2028 but it would kick the can down the road.” 

He’s facing a challenger in Republican Lee Muns, a heavy industrial construction worker. 

“I do not agree with the rate freeze,” Muns said. “The cost for the Hurricane Helene cleanup has not been brought to the table, and all of these conversations need to be held in the public arena so the public can see what’s going on.”

Echols has come under fire before for accepting $30,000 from people associated with utility companies during the 2022 election cycle according to WTOC.

“I’ll never take campaign contributions from people that I regulate,” Muns said. “I will always understand I’m a regulator, I’m not part of Georgia Power’s team.” 

When looking through Echols’ financing data for this election, there were roughly 30 donations totaling around $10,000 from executives, lawyers, CEOs and other occupations of various utility-related companies in Georgia. Those included Gas South, Oglethorpe Power, Southern Company, Southern Gas, and Carroll EMC. 

It is important to note that Echols does not directly regulate all of these companies and they are allowed to accept money from employees of companies they regulate, just not from the companies themselves. 

“I haven’t taken money from Georgia Power. Law allows me to take money from their employees if they want to give,” Echols said. “I don’t see why my opponent wants to hamstring himself. Mr. Muns can do what he wants to, but … I’m perfectly legal with a clean bill of health from the Ethics Commission.”

Muns did not have any campaign contributions listed as of Friday in the Georgia Campaign Finance System.

Echols called Muns qualified, but also mentioned personal bankruptcies of his opponent.

“I mean Mr. Muns is certainly a qualified enough guy, I mean he worked at the power plant,” Echols said. “You know he struggled with his own personal bankruptcies. As a financial regulator, I don’t know that he’s the best guy for the job.”

Filings in the U.S. District Court for Southern Georgia shows that Muns’ company, Muns Welding and Mechanical, was under fire on at least three separate occasions by the Plumbers and Steamfitters Local Union No. 150.

A filing claims that Muns’ company voluntarily initiated Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings on Nov. 20 of 2015. The case was eventually dismissed in 2017.

Muns noted that he put himself at a disadvantage by qualifying on the last day. 

“I wanted the folks in this race to understand there’s a clear difference between me and my opponent and how we do business and how we handle things,” Muns said. “I’m a hard worker. This week alone I’m gonna drive probably around 1,400-miles to five different places to meet with people.”

Echols said he’s been listening to Georgia residents.

“I’ve heard from people, and they complained about these bills. They’ve complained about data centers. We’re making them pay more. We’re freezing rates with the vote coming up next month,” Echols said. “We’ve got a successful thing going, no need to change out a commissioner right now.” 

Speaking of those data centers, Meta recently opened one in Walton County in District 2 that broke ground in 2018. According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, there are more than 50 major data centers in the state. The Department of Energy estimates that data centers consumed roughly 4.4% of total U.S. electricity in 2023.

“If these companies want to come in here and they want to build these places and everything else, they need to understand the power demand that they are going to bring with them,” Muns said. “They should work together … and build their own power plant. Don’t put that on the rate payers to cover their cost of doing business.”

There is one Democrat running unopposed for District 2 who will carry the party’s nomination in November. 

Her name is Alicia Johnson, and she is a managing principal at Health Management Associates. 

She has nearly 30-years of experience in human services, health care, and economic development. 

District 3

In District 3, which covers Fulton, Dekalb, and Clayton Counties, Republican Incumbent Fitz Johnson is running unopposed. He was appointed to the role in 2021 to replace Chuck Eaton after Governor Brian Kemp appointed him to the 5th Superior Court District of Georgia.

There are three candidates running for the Democratic nomination. 

That includes project director Peter Hubbard, technology and utility executive Robert Jones, and former Atlanta City Councilperson Keisha Sean Waites.

District 2 is more pertinent to northeast Georgia, but both races will be elected statewide.

Polling places will open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.