Forsyth County begins recount in close Georgia PSC primary race

Forsyth County began its portion of the statewide recount in the Republican primary for Georgia Public Service Commission District 3 at the voter registrations and elections office on Sawnee Drive, a race that could help determine who will oversee future utility costs for millions of Georgians. The county said the recount opened Wednesday, June 24, at 1201 Sawnee Drive in Cumming and was scheduled to finish no later than Friday, June 26, with the public allowed to watch.

The recount followed a request from Brandon Martin after Fitz Johnson defeated him by 2,947 votes in the May 19 primary. Georgia law allows a candidate to ask for a recount when the margin is 0.5% or less, and Martin made that request on June 5, the same day the race was certified. The Georgia Secretary of State ordered the statewide recount, which had to be completed by June 26.

The race has drawn outsized attention because the Public Service Commission is not a ceremonial board. It is a five-member elected body that regulates Georgia’s investor-owned electric, natural gas and telecommunications utilities, and its decisions can affect what households and businesses pay for electricity. For Forsyth County residents who receive Georgia Power bills each month, the contest reaches well beyond party politics and into the price of service.

Johnson is the incumbent in District 3. He assumed office on the Georgia Public Service Commission on Aug. 26, 2021, and survived a residency challenge in April before the primary. That added scrutiny has made the close vote in the Republican primary even more consequential as the recount proceeds.

Georgia is electing two of the commission’s five seats in 2026. The primary was held May 19, the runoff followed on June 16, and the general election is set for Nov. 3, 2026. Until the recount is complete and the result is finalized, the District 3 contest remains one of the state’s most closely watched utility races.