There are a lot of really important issues on your ballot this fall. But it is not just the presidential candidates and the ballot propositions that you need to pay attention to. The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) also has three out of its five members up for a vote in November. The ACC is the body that regulates water, gas, and electric utilities in Arizona. A five-member body sets the rates you pay to your monopoly utility every month. They are also in charge of energy policy in Arizona, meaning they decide if we keep using fossil fuels or transition to clean energy.

If you get electricity from Arizona Public Service (APS), Tucson Electric Power (TEP), Unisource, or a rural cooperative, the ACC impacts you. If you get gas from Southwest Gas, the ACC matters to you. If you get water from Global Water, EPCOR, Liberty, or any of these hundreds of companies, the ACC impacts you. If you have or ever hope to have solar panels, an electric vehicle, or an energy-efficient home, the ACC impacts you. If you are concerned about Arizona’s air quality or whether or not we will run out of water, the ACC impacts you.

Just since the last election, the ACC has made important decisions on rates for TEP, APS, Unisource, and Southwest Gas. They voted to prevent community solar from developing in Arizona. They have increased fixed fees on solar customers and decreased the value of the solar those same customers sell back to the grid. They have curtailed several energy efficiency programs. They have also voted to repeal renewable energy and energy efficiency requirements. Solar and energy efficiency are the only ways customers can meaningfully reduce their electric bills. Renewable energy uses less water than fossil fuels and does not contribute to air pollution.

Candidates for the ACC run statewide, meaning there are no districts, so all voters will have the same choices. You will find this race after other statewide and legislative candidates, but before judges and ballot propositions. You should vote for three, not just one, like a lot of other races. A lot of people that fill out a ballot just skip this race. That is because a lot of people do not know what the ACC is, think it only has to do with “corporations,” and do not realize that three people (because simple majority rules) decide nearly everything about electric, water, and gas utilities in the State. 57,000 votes was the difference between winning this election in 2022 and losing. That means your vote matters. And nearly 100,000 people who voted in the 2022 gubernatorial race did not vote in the ACC race.

Six candidates are running for three seats. All of these candidates have websites and social media. In alphabetical order, they are: Ylenia Aguilar (D) (website and social), Jonathon Hill (D) (website and social), Rene Lopez (R) (website and social), Lea Marquez Peterson (R) (website and social), Joshua Polacheck (D) (website and social), and Rachel Walden (R) (website and social). Only Marquez Peterson is an incumbent.

Ballots are mailed out on October 9th. You can request a mail-in ballot until October 25th. You need to mail back your ballot by October 29th. The last day to vote in-person, early is November 1st. Election day is November 5th and polls are open 6am-7pm. Get all of your voting info at the Secretary of State’s website. The ballot is going to be long this year, but take your time and complete all of it. Research the candidates. If you are voting from home, you have a lot of time to review the voter guides, candidate websites, and candidate social media accounts. If you are voting in person, plan ahead. The ACC race impacts you.

Autumn Johnson is the Executive Director of the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association.