Georgia Secretary of State announces Special Election for two Public Service Commission seats following lawsuit delays

Atlanta — A Special Election will be held in November for two seats on the all-Republican Georgia Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities that provide electric, natural gas, and telecommunications services in the state.  

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger formallycalled for the two special elections on Wednesday (Feb. 26), which will be on the ballot along municipal elections. Qualifying for the Nov. 4 election will be held April 1-3. A primary is set for June 17, with a runoff on July 15, if needed. The winners will compete in November’s general election.

Commissioner Tim Echols, who represents a large portion of east Georgia, and Commissioner Fitz Johnson, who represents metro Atlanta and is the second black and the first Black Republican to serve on Georgia Public Service Commission, are both up for re-election. 

Echols, first elected in 2011, was originally scheduled to run in 2022, but a lawsuit challenging the commission’s at-large election system delayed the race. Johnson, appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2021 to fill a vacancy, has yet to face voters.

The election timeline was disrupted by a 2020 lawsuit arguing that the commission’s at-large districts diluted Black voting power. Daniel Blackman, a black Democrat had run for the seat in 2014, 2016 and in 2021 but was not successful. Although commissioners must live in one of five districts, they are elected statewide for six-year terms. A federal district judge initially ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, but the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the decision. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case last year.

A separate lawsuit filed last summer challenged the constitutionality of a legislative plan to restart commission elections, which also extended sitting commissioners’ terms beyond their original expiration dates. Under this plan, Commissioner Tricia Pridemore—who would have faced re-election in 2023—will not be on the ballot until 2026.

However, a federal judge dismissed that lawsuit last month, clearing the way for this year’s elections to proceed.

Below is Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s call for the upcoming Special Elections: