Early voting in the June 17 primary for Public Service Commission is off to a slow start, with fewer than 800 people casting ballots in Richmond and Columbia counties.
Voters are selecting party nominees for two contested seats on the five-member Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities such as electricity and natural gas. Candidates must reside in their respective districts, but commissioners are elected statewide.
In Richmond County 366 had cast Democratic ballots compared to 89 Republican ballots. In Columbia County, 326 had participated in early voting overall.
On the Democratic ballot for District 3, four candidates — Peter Hubbard, Robert Jones, Keisha Sean Waites, and Daniel Blackman — are vying for the nomination. Blackman was recently disqualified over residency requirements, but a court injunction allows him to remain on the ballot until a June 10 hearing.
Incumbent Fitz Johnson is unopposed on the Republican ballot for District 3. In District 2, Democratic nominee Alicia M. Johnson is also running unopposed.
The Republican primary for District 2 features a contested race between incumbent Tim Echols, first elected in 2010, and Harlem business owner Lee Muns, who previously ran for Columbia County Commission in 2018.
Echols has emphasized Georgia’s capacity to support growing energy demands and a three-year rate freeze by Georgia Power, while Muns has positioned himself as a ratepayer advocate critical of utility company influence.
Columbia County has one advance voting site at Building G3 in Evans, while Richmond County has four — the Linda Beazley Room downtown, the Henry Brigham Center, the Robert Howard Center at Diamond Lakes and Warren Road Community Center. Today is the last day to apply for an absentee ballot.
Advance voting continues through June 13. On Election Day, voters must use their assigned polling places.
