Last month’s off-year, summertime Public Service Commission primary election saw light turnout. Some rural counties had fewer than 100 voters turn out.
Georgia is backing up that dismal turnout with a reprise of sorts as former Atlanta City Council member Keisha Sean Waites and Peter Hubbard, founder of the nonprofit Georgia Center for Energy Solutions, square off in a statewide Democratic primary runoff. Neither Waites nor Hubbard received the requisite majority of the vote in June to capture the District 3 Democratic nomination.
Early voting for the primary runoff started Monday, and if the sparse turnout persists, some rural counties may have more poll workers than voters.
In at least six counties (Chattahoochee, Clay, Echols, Glascock, Miller and Telfair), no voters cast ballots by midafternoon Tuesday, according to data from the secretary of state’s office. Poll workers waited to see if anyone would show.
“It’s very boring,” said Jerry Calhoun, the Miller County election supervisor.
Miller County poll workers in the county’s sole open precinct on Monday spent their day surfing the web, reading, chatting with each other and waiting for voters, but no one showed. It was the same scene on Tuesday.
The highlight of Calhoun’s Tuesday was lunch — a turkey sandwich, he said.
When asked whether Calhoun expects to see one of the approximately 4,140 registered voters in the county this week, he chuckled and said, “I certainly hope so.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
About 8,700 voters cast their ballots statewide as of Tuesday afternoon — about 0.1% of registered voters.
Turnout for the June primary reached about 2.5% of the state’s approximately 8.4 million registered voters.
Miller and 76 other counties are using a state law allowing them to open only one precinct for a primary runoff when local voter turnout falls below 1% of registered voters.
Most counties limiting polling locations are in rural, largely Republican parts of the state where few Georgians voted in the Democratic June primary.
Participants of the Republican primary last month are not eligible to cast a ballot in the Democratic runoff.
Although it’s a low-profile race, the PSC wields a great deal of power over how much Georgia residents pay for their utility bills.
The five-member commission sets the rates utility companies such as Georgia Power and Atlanta Gas Light can charge customers.
After a series of rate hikes approved by the PSC, Georgia Power customers have seen their monthly bills rise by about $43 since 2023.
Last week, Georgia Power struck a deal with the commission to hold rates steady through 2028, which means the two Republican board members up for reelection — Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson — will not have to consider approving a rate increase during their campaigns.
But rates could still go up next year when Georgia Power is expected to ask the commission for approval to recoup the cost of damage caused by Hurricane Helene and other storms.
District 2 incumbent Echols will face Democratic challenger Alicia Johnson in November. Fitz Johnson, the District 3 incumbent who has not faced a challenger since Gov. Brian Kemp appointed him in 2021, will face the winner of the July 15 runoff.
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
In Cherokee County, election staff closed all but two locations during the early voting period. The county will open only one location next Tuesday for election day.
Anne Dover, Cherokee County’s election director, said it’s the first time in her 18 years that the county has opened only one location for a primary runoff.
Dover said she expects the snail’s pace to persist through the early voting period with the possibility of a slight increase in participation on election day, July 15.
Instead of hiring poll workers, Dover said she is reducing costs by staffing the county’s election office precinct with her full-time staff.
Staff members talked with each other and brought in work to chip away at while they waited for voters to trickle in.
“Unfortunately, there’s not really much to get excited for,” said Grace Waddell, the Cherokee County election training and education manager. “I guess we get excited when a voter comes in.”
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez
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