This obscure Georgia election is about so much more than your power bill

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 — 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 showi