Judge disqualifies Democrat Daniel Blackman from Georgia Public Service Commission primary

People leave after voting in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs. A sign saying Early Voting available Here stands in the foreground.
People leave after voting in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs, Ga., on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, the first day of early in-person voting in Georgia. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

Votes won’t count for Democrat Daniel Blackman in the June 17 primary election for Georgia Public Service Commission after a judge ruled Tuesday that Blackman hadn’t proved that he had lived in Fulton County for the required year before the general election in November.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville issued an earlier temporary order that kept Blackman on the ballot after Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger had disqualified him. But after a hearing on Tuesday, Glanville ruled from the bench that Raffensperger’s ruling had been correct.

Blackman can appeal, but if he loses, any votes cast for him will not be counted in the District 3 Democratic primary for the utility regulator. Three other Democrats — Peter Hubbard, Robert Jones and Keisha Waites — are also seeking their party’s nomination to oppose Republican Fitz Johnson in November.