A rare, off-year statewide primary and general election will be on the ballot this year June 17 and November 4, respectively.
Pierce County Board of Elections has announced early voting and election day schedules for the upcoming Public Service Commission (PSC) primaries, but strange as it seems, the candidates being primaried will not represent Pierce County’s own district.
The state is divided into five districts on the public service commission, with each seat representing a district. Candidates for the PSC run statewide, however, and not by districts. While candidates for PSC must live in the district they represent, the positions are decided by statewide elections.
Pierce County is in district one and is represented by Jay Shaw (R, Lakeland). He is not up for re-election in the primary.
The special primary represents the completion of long-delayed elections for Districts 2 and 3 on the PSC. Originally scheduled to occur in 2022, both elections were delayed by lawsuits. challenging the legality of statewide elections being held for regional district positions. The PSC seat for District 5 was set for 2024, but was also delayed by the ongoing legal battle and is now set to occur next year.
PSC members regulate the rates on primarily electric, natural gas and telecommunications utilities. Utility providers must submit an application to the PSC to approve a rate hike before they can go into effect, several of which have been approved in recent years, especially for electricity.
According to the most recent maps available at https://psc.ga.gov, Pierce County falls within District 1, which covers almost the entire southern half of Georgia. The upcoming primaries are concerned with Districts 2 and 3. District 2 covers a swath of 40 counties from Savannah up to Atlanta. District 3 covers the metro Atlanta region.
Early voting will be 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., May 27, June 2 and June 9. Saturday voting is set for 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., May 31 and June 7. Election day itself for the primaries falls June 17, 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Early voting for the election will be conducted at the Pierce County Elections Office, 312 Nichols St. in Blackshear. Votes will be cast on election day June 7 at the county’s two precincts, the NFC Gym at 705 College Avenue, Blackshear or Eagle Station at 3507 Williams St. in Patterson. The deadline to request absentee ballots is June 6.
On the Democratic ticket, Alicia M. Johnson is unopposed in the primary to be the candidate for Public Service Commissioner - District 2. There are four candidates vying to be the candidate for Public Service Commissioner - District 3: Daniel Blackman, Peter Hubbard, Robert Jones and Keisha Sean Waites.
On the Republican ticket, incumbent Commissioner - District 2 Tim Echols is challenged in the primary by Lee Muns. Incumbent Commissioner - District 3, Fitz Johnson, is unopposed in the primary.
May 19 is the last date to register for voting in the special primary. The special general election for both posts will be November 4. The Pierce County Board of Elections has posted sample ballots for the primaries to their Facebook page. For more information, the Board of Elections can be reached at 912-449-2028.
