Voters make governors, utility regulators answer for high power bills

As broad affordability concerns define elections across the country, voters in several states on Tuesday had a say on their future utility bills. State utility regulators, who are facing heightened levels of attention and scrutiny amid high prices, were on the ballot in nine states: Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Most Americans are served by utilities overseen by state regulators, who approve or deny rate increase requests from providers. Public outcry over rising utility prices has pushed state regulators and lawmakers to consider rate freezes, additional energy assistance funds or new rates targeting large energy users such as data centers. And it's brought even more attention to high prices in races for both governors and utility regulators.

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