Voter snapshot: Residents of Cherokee County have their say on Georgia PSC races 

Update: Both Republican incumbent commissioners were not able to run up the score on friendlier turf like Cherokee County, where they won nearly 60% of the vote, to overcome the Democratic challengers’ lead.  It’s election day in Georgia for two Public Service Commission seats, and voters are making their voices heard over who should sit […]

Voters enter the gymnasium at Clark Creek Elementary in Acworth to cast their ballots in the 2025 Public Service Commission races. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

Update: Both Republican incumbent commissioners were not able to run up the score on friendlier turf like Cherokee County, where they won nearly 60% of the vote, to overcome the Democratic challengers’ lead. 

It’s election day in Georgia for two Public Service Commission seats, and voters are making their voices heard over who should sit on a board that helps determine Georgia’s energy policy and the rates customers pay for utilities like electricity and gas.

Republican incumbents Tim Echols and Fitz Johnson are fighting to keep their seats from Democratic challengers Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard in an off-year race that’s garnered more attention than usual because of the implications the results may have on next year’s midterm elections.

Republicans want to send a message that the GOP still reigns supreme in Georgia, while Democrats are hoping that a strong showing will give them momentum heading into next year, when the party is hoping to flip statewide seats from the governor down and defend Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff’s spot in Washington.

Democrats are largely pinning their hopes on the idea that voters will be frustrated with Republican leadership at the state and federal level and want to make their voices heard.

“It’s the same reason you go online and you see more negative reviews about something,” said Patrick McGann, a Cherokee County network systems engineer who cast a ballot for Alicia Johnson and Hubbard Tuesday at Clark Creek Elementary School in Acworth. “If someone’s upset about something, they’re more likely to come out and vote, especially in an off-cycle like this, so don’t upset your constituents.”

Cherokee County, which sits on the northern edge of the Atlanta suburbs, is a huge source of Republican votes in Georgia — Republican President Donald Trump won the county with nearly 70% of the vote in 2024. But Democrats have had their eyes on the county as well. As metro Atlanta continues to grow outward, Democrats are hoping to make inroads with new, younger and more diverse Cherokee residents.

In 2024, voters at the Clark Creek precinct favored Trump by nearly 12 points, but many  of the voters exiting the polls shortly after they opened Tuesday morning said they cast ballots for Alicia Johnson and Hubbard.

Among them was Karen Sender, a university employee who said Tuesday was her first time voting in a non-national election.

“It’s really just to make my voice heard,” she said. “It’s been a disappointing year so far with how the nation’s been going, so I wanted to get my voice out there.”

Sender said she’s not directly affected by Georgia Power rate increases. The commission has approved six Georgia Power-requested rate increases in two years, raising the average household’s power bill by $43 per month.

“I get my power through Cobb EMC, but I know Georgia Power folks, that their bills are way too high for what they should be, so I wanted to do my part and make sure that they’re getting their rights protected,” she said.

Retired IT project manager Cheryl Fairley said she’s not sure what a Democratic win would mean for Cherokee residents like her.

“I don’t know, but it’s going to mean something to me because it’s going to mean that there’s two Democrats in there and not two Republicans,” she said.

“I’m a Democrat and I want the Democrats to take over,” she added. “I want Democrats everywhere because I’m tired of these Republicans and what they got going on right now.”

The five members on the commission right now are all Republicans. If Democrats are successful in flipping both seats Tuesday, it would leave Republicans with more narrow control of the panel.

Fairley said she hopes that good results for Alicia Johnsona nd Hubbard will portend a happy 2026 for Georgia Democrats.

“It will give us some good momentum going in because we need Ossoff,” she said. “We just need him because right now the Republicans have the House, they have the Senate, they have everything.”

But the Georgia GOP has been pushing hard for Echols and Fitz Johnson to keep their seats, bringing out big names like Gov. Brian Kemp and celebrating endorsements from popular party figures like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Airline pilot Bradley Heydt said he cast his ballot for the Republicans because they will strike the proper balance between people and businesses.

“I believe that our state needs somebody who represents the interests not only of the people, but also for business interests in terms of development and expanding energy in the state,” he said. “I usually do not vote for people who represent the interests of just lowering utility bills. There’s more than just lowering utility bills. It’s managing our energy and our infrastructure in the state, and we need people who are prepared to do that job.”

Others, like stay-at-home mom Arianne Campbell said they cast ballots for the Republican candidates largely out of ideological or party loyalty.

“I’m Republican, so I voted for that,” she said. “I’m not really for anybody. It’s just, I felt like that would be the best for us.”

Pete Kane, who is a podcaster and business coach, struck a similar tone.

“I don’t know them personally, but I think (Echols and Fitz Johnson) are more conservative than the

other candidates,” he said. “I lean more conservative than I do liberal.”

Kane said he’s not too worried about next year’s midterms and he thinks Republicans will keep control of the state if they do what the people want them to.

“As long as they do a good job, I want them to serve the people,” he said. “And if they do what they’re supposed to do, they’ll get elected. If they don’t, we’ll kick them out.”

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