Georgia runoff to decide Democratic PSC candidate

Driving the news: Clean-energy advocate Peter Hubbard is battling former Atlanta City Council member Keisha Waites for the District 3 Democratic nomination.

• Polls open at 7am and close at 7pm. Find your polling place at My Voter Page, and remember to bring a valid photo ID.

Catch up quick: Waites won 46% of the June 17 primary election vote count, just below the majority threshold required to win outright. Hubbard trailed by more than 16,000 votes, earning roughly 33% of the vote.

Zoom in: Waites stepped down from her City Council at-large post to run an unsuccessful campaign for Fulton County Superior Court Clerk. She also served three terms in the Georgia House of Representatives.

• Hubbard, who has intervened at the PSC to challenge Georgia Power rate hike requests, is endorsed by Georgia Democrats including former Gov. Roy Barnes and three of Waites' former City Council colleagues.

Yes, but: The PSC's recently approved deal with Georgia Power to freeze electricity rates for three years won't do anything to stop Georgia's insatiable hunger for electricity.

• Georgia Power says the utility might need to add the output of roughly eight nuclear reactors to meet peak energy demand by 2031, the AJC reports. Consumer advocates, environmental groups and PSC staff question whether Georgia Power is overestimating that rising demand.
• Georgia Power customers' bills have jumped an average of $43 per month since 2023 thanks to rate hikes approved by the all-Republican panel, Georgia Recorder reports.

State of play: According to the Georgia Secretary of State's office, 33,099 voters — just 0.4% of the electorate — had cast a ballot.

What's next: The winner of Tuesday's election will face Republican incumbent Fitz Johnson in November.