Georgia statewide election makes history while two DeKalb cities vote in new mayors

Cities in DeKalb County will be welcoming new mayors and the results in a statewide commission race made national headlines after the Nov. 4 election. 

Democrats Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard swept their Republican incumbent opponents in the race to become the next elected members of the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC), whose decisions affect how much people pay for such necessary services as electricity, telephone, and natural gas, according to the commission’s website. 

Preliminary data from the Georgia Secretary of State’s website states that Johnson earned 977,923, or more than 62.7 percent of the total votes, over incumbent Tim Echols. Hubbard earned 979,642, or more than 62.9 percent of the total votes, over incumbent Fitz Johnson. 

The wins delivered the largest statewide margins of victory by Democrats in more than 20 years, according to Associated Press.  

“This victory isn’t just mine, it’s ours. It’s for the single mother choosing between groceries and her power bill, the senior trying to keep the lights on, and the young voter who showed up believing that their voice matters,” said Johnson after her historic win, making her the first Black woman to serve in a statewide elective executive office in Georgia, according to Rutgers.  

“Now, the real work begins,” Johnson continued. “I’m going to the Public Service Commission to ensure that every Georgian has a voice at the table, to lower costs, modernize our grid, and make energy policy that works for the people, not just the powerful.” 

While all DeKalb County voters had the PSC races on their ballots, some municipalities had mayoral, city council and other seats in which to cast votes. 

Residents of two cities will be welcoming new mayors, with Jelani Linder defeating incumbent Beverly Jones in Stone Mountain by gaining approximately 58 percent of total ballots cast while Anne Lerner was elected in Tucker with more than 57 percent of total ballots cast, beating her opponents Noelle Monferdini and Beverly Williams in the three-way race. 

Meanwhile in Atlanta and Clarkston, incumbent mayors Andre Dickens and Beverly Burks easily kept their seats with Dickens earning approximately 79 percent and Burks earning approximately 80 percent of total votes cast. 

Perhaps just as noteworthy as election results was voter turnout, which was more than 20 times higher in Georgia than the primary elections in June, according to Ty Tagami with Capitol Beat News.  

In DeKalb County, more than 152,400 voters cast ballots on Election Day or through advanced and absentee voting, representing approximately 31.25 percent of registered voters, according to data on the county’s Voter Registration and Election’s website. In comparison, only about five to six percent of registered voters in DeKalb County voted in the June and July special primary and runoff elections.  

For full election results and more information, visit https://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/voter-registration-elections/election-results-1 and https://sos.ga.gov/elections-division-georgia-secretary-states-office.