Voucher vote 'up or down,' guv says

Meantime, both Valentine and Curtis have made it clear they don't want a special session. By law, the governor calls special sessions, and he alone sets the agenda.

In addition, both GOP legislative leaders said the statewide voucher vote shouldn't be taken as definitive. It is possible, both men said, that vouchers could lose in the statewide tally, but within individual legislators' districts, constituents in a majority of a district could still support vouchers at the polls.

Only after the vote, the leaders said, will individual legislators know whether their constituents want them to favor or oppose vouchers.

Huntsman, in his Saturday statement, clearly rejects that district-by-district belief, saying the overall vote will determine the voucher question — and that the ballot should be a clear up-or-down vote.

---

E-mail: lisa@desnews.com; bbjr@desnews.com