Statewide Public Service Commission election heading to runoff

Voters throughout Georgia, including DeKalb County, will be heading back to the polls on July 15 after none of the three qualifying Democratic candidates in a recent special primary election received the 50 percent-plus-one-vote margin needed to avoid a runoff.

District 2 and District 3 contests for the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) were held June 17, with the results as follows:

• Republican Tim Echols amassed more than 76 percent of the total vote in the PSC’s District 2 to beat challenger Lee Muns, according to unofficial results. Echols will take on Democrat Alicia Johnson, who ran unopposed, in November. District 2 covers Fulton, Clayton, and DeKalb counties.
• Former Atlanta City Councilwoman Keisha Sean Waites was the top vote-getter in a three-way race for the Democratic nomination in PSC District 3, receiving approximately 47 percent of ballots cast, but was headed for a runoff next month against second-place finisher Peter Hubbard, according to unofficial results. The winner of the runoff election will face off against Republican Fitz Johnson, who ran unopposed. District 3 stretches from Atlanta’s eastern and southeastern suburbs to Savannah.

Waites and Hubbard were originally challenged by two other democrats, Daniel Blackman and Robert Jones, however a court decision ultimately agreed with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s order disqualifying Blackman, as early voting for the race had already begun, citing that Blackman had not been a resident of Fulton County for the required time of at least one year.

Locally, 29,079 ballots were cast in the races in DeKalb County, representing approximately 5.72 percent of the 508,223 registered voters in the county.

“Throughout this election cycle, we’ve strived to provide a seamless and efficient voting experience for DeKalb County residents,” said Keisha Smith, executive director of DeKalb Voter Registration and Elections (VRE). “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated poll workers, employees and the members of our Board of Registration and Elections whose collective tireless efforts have been pivotal during this special election.”

The DeKalb Board of Registration and Elections will meet to certify the special election results on June 23, at noon, at the DeKalb VRE Office located at 4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 300 in Decatur.

According to PSC’s website, the mission of the commission is to exercise its authority and influence to ensure that consumers receive safe, reliable, and reasonably priced telecommunications, electric, and natural gas services from financially viable and technically competent companies.

“Our PSC plays an important role in our daily lives, and it’s important for voters to remain engaged in each and every election,” said Smith.

Although candidates qualify by district, the PSC is a statewide office, explained officials. “Voters do not vote by district, but by selecting their party preference, as this is a partisan primary election,” said officials.

After the runoff election is complete in July, Election Day for the PSC race will be held Nov. 4.

For more information, visit dekalbvotes.com and sos.ga.gov/elections-division-georgia-secretary-states-office.

Dave Williams with Capitol Beat News contributed to this article.