This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Grist and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR station.
Georgians are currently voting in rare off-year elections for two seats on the Public Service Commission, or PSC — the only statewide races on the ballot this year. More Democrats are expected to turn out to vote because Democratic strongholds like Atlanta are electing a mayor and city council members. In June, about twice as many Democrats as Republicans turned out for the party primaries.
Republicans see a risk of losing seats they’ve held for two decades and opening the door to further losses. Both parties are looking ahead to next year, when the governor’s office and a U.S. Senate seat are on the ballot, and see the PSC race as something of a bellwether. That all has Republicans showing some nerves.
Recently, some of Georgia’s top Republicans gathered in Forsyth County, about 40 minutes outside Atlanta, for a show of party unity and patriotism. Local and state officials stood on risers behind the podium while longtime P... Read more
