🗳️ Democratic primary runoff for PSC seat is in two weeks
For the Public Service Commission (PSC) District 3 seat, the statewide Democratic primary runoff between Peter Hubbard and Keisha Waites is scheduled for July 15th. Early voting starts July 7, which is also the last day to request an absentee ballot.
Check your voter registration online at the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page.
Remember: You cannot vote in the Democratic primary runoff if you voted in the Republican primary for the June 17 election. However, you’re eligible to vote for the District 3 Democratic candidate if you didn’t vote in the primary, or voted on a non-partisan or Democratic ballot.
The PSC, the state’s utilities regulator, has come under fire for allowing Georgia Power to raise rates six times since 2022. In a marathon hearing before the PSC last week, Georgia Power pitched a plan to freeze rates for the next three years – but there’s a catch. Alex Ip at The Xylom has the story.
The PSC will soon vote on Georgia Power’s rate plan.
Municipal election watch
In other election news, Monday was the end of the campaign finance reporting period for candidates running in Atlanta’s municipal elections. Expect a roundup from Atlanta Civic Circle once the reports are in.
The mayor’s seat, all 15 Atlanta City Council seats, and the council presidency are up for election in November. So are even-numbered seats on the Atlanta Board of Education. For interested candidates, the qualifying deadline is Aug. 19 to Aug. 22.
Energy is particularly high for members of Atlanta’s Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) chapter following DSA member Zohran Mamdani’s June 24 win in New York City’s Democratic primary for mayor. I popped into their watch party last Tuesday, right as the establishment Democratic candidate, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, conceded the race, and they erupted into cheers.
Here in Atlanta, Kelsea Bond is vying to be the first DSA member elected to the Atlanta City Council in her campaign for the council’s open District 2 seat. That said, city council elections are nonpartisan.
Amir Farokhi, the current District 2 councilmember, is stepping down Aug. 23 to take a new job as the Head of School for The Galloway School. Next Monday will be his last city council meeting.
The Atlanta DSA is holding a Mamdani victory party at 7:30 pm on Saturday at Red’s Beer Garden, located at 1328 Boulevard SE.
WHAT WE’RE READING
Miami delays municipal elections to increase turnout
While Atlanta’s municipal elections are extremely important for city residents, turnout tends to be low. One reason is that they fall on off-years that don’t coincide with the federal midterms or presidential election years.
Miami faces the same problem. In a move to boost turnout, the Miami Commission voted 3-2 last week to push their upcoming November election to 2026. That way, it will line up with the federal election calendar, while saving the city the expense of holding an off-year election.
However, Florida’s attorney general has called the move unconstitutional and signaled he will block it. If Miami’s move survives the legal challenge, other Florida cities could do the same. Florida Politics reports that Coral Gables has been weighing the question for at least two years.
đź“·: City of Miami
A TIME FOR CIVIC ACTION
Join ACC’s kitchen cabinet
Want to help shape how Atlanta Civic Circle covers the city of Atlanta elections this fall?
Join our kitchen cabinet, a citywide civic forum where everyday Atlantans and a handful of civic advisors come together to shape our election coverage—and spark real community engagement.
Here’s the gist:
🗓️ The deadline to apply is July 15.
đź‘Ť We’ll select 10-15 residents and civic leaders for the cabinet.
đź’¬ They’ll be invited to an early August kickoff.
🧠We’ll meet 3-4 times to hear and learn from each other and special guests, meet with the candidates, and discuss ACC’s election work.
📢 We’ll publish key findings from the kitchen cabinet ahead of early voting.
→ Apply to join Kitchen Cabinet ATL
Journalist Mario Guevara faces ICE bond hearing today
Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara, who has been in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention since June 18, is scheduled for a bond hearing before a federal immigration judge today.
Irene DĂaz-Bazán, publisher of the local news outlet Prensa Atlanta, visited Guevara over the weekend. Read a translated account of her visit courtesy of 285 South.
The DeKalb County Police Department arrested Guevara on June 14 at a rally protesting ICE deportation sweeps and President Donald Trump. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office subsequently released Guevara to ICE custody on June 18. Even though the DeKalb Solicitor-General dropped the charges against Guevara on June 25, he remains in ICE custody.
The case has attracted national media attention and local scrutiny of DeKalb officials, raising questions about press freedom and the DeKalb police’s conduct at the protest.
Check out Atlanta Civic Circle’s past reporting:
- DeKalb solicitor-general drops charges against Guevara
- Guevara arrested and placed on ICE detainer
- ICE takes custody of Guevara
- DeKalb faces backlash over Guevara’s arrest, protest crackdown
Listen to the kids
On a lighter note, I attended the Georgia finals for the National Civics Bee at the Carter Center on Friday. I caught up with the five finalists – all still in middle school or about to enter high school – to learn more about their ideas for improving their communities.
It was uplifting to see young people interested in civic engagement and proposing their own solutions to thorny issues, such as public transit, gun violence, the environment, homelessness, and civil rights. Maybe there is hope?
Kaden Jawwaad, 13, who attends Bennett’s Mill Middle School in Fayetteville, was crowned state champion for his proposal to expand public transit usage. He will represent Georgia at the National Civics Bee in Washington, D.C., in November.Â
Check out my story to hear from them.
Today’s newsletter was written by Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon and edited by Meredith Hobbs.
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