Where electricity bills are on the ballot

AI SPECIAL REPORT

It’s a familiar look for the office of an organization in the Deep South rooted in decades of fighting for

civil rights. Displayed on the wall are inspirational quotes from James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and Killer Mike. In the conference room, the group has hung maps of the six wards of Albany, Ga.—a useful guide for the on-the-ground organizing work that mobilizes residents to protest and vote.

But the issue at hand on this balmy August afternoon at the headquarters of SOWEGA Rising isn’t the typical topic for civil rights organizers. Around the table, a group of activists from across the region are talking about something wonky, almost quotidian: electricity bills. For years, residents of this part of south Georgia have faced electricity bills that locals say often exceed their rent. Now, organizers around the table say they have an opportunity to do something about it—if they can ...