ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Democrats will hold majority control of the Georgia Public Service Commission for the first time in 30 years following Tuesday’s election, shifting power on the five-member constitutional board that regulates Georgia Power and sets residential electric rates.

According to state election returns, the political shift follows a multimillion-dollar campaign focused on rising electricity costs and the rapid expansion of energy-intensive data centers across the state.

Commissioner-elect Shelia Edwards and re-elected Commissioner Peter Hubbard won double-digit victories, according to election officials, cementing a 3-2 Democratic majority on the regulatory panel.

Advocates and incoming commissioners said high utility bills have become a breaking point for Georgia families.

“And everyone said the same thing: The utility bill is too damn high,” Edwards said. “And they needed somebody to do something about it.”

Edwards said she campaigned on reining in repeated rate increases and halting utility disconnections during freezing winter months and extreme summer heat.

“Social Security is not going to give you some additional money because Georgia Power wants to charge you more for your utility bill,” Edwards said. “You have to figure out whether you pay for your medication or whether you pay Georgia Power.”

At the center of the regulatory debate is the rapid surge of commercial data centers, which require massive amounts of statewide electric capacity.

Environmental advocates, including the Georgia Conservation Voters Action Fund, reported spending more than $4 million on the commission races, arguing residential homeowners should not subsidize infrastructure built to power large tech operations.

Georgia Power officials counter that everyday consumers are protected from shouldering those expansion costs.

“We worked rules and regulations with the Public Service Commission last year to make sure that those large load users are signing contracts that protect residential and commercial rate payers,” said Georgia Power spokesperson Matthew Kent in previous coverage reported by Atlanta News First.

The commission has already voted to order an independent review of Georgia Power’s methodology for billing data centers.

“It’s not in my power or my interest to stop what they’re doing necessarily,” Hubbard said. “But I just want them to do it the right way.”

Under a previous commission decision, Georgia Power’s base rates remain frozen through 2028.

When the new 3-2 commission majority takes office, commissioners said they plan to open an official Affordability Docket to evaluate what households can afford to pay and review how infrastructure costs for data centers are allocated.

The commission will also operate alongside Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms, who has called for a temporary pause on state approvals for new data centers until consumer protections are established.

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