There's a lot riding on next week's voucher vote

Two items this week — possible long-term impacts of the voucher vote and who may be Salt Lake City's next mayor.

First, Utahns have the rare, but important, opportunity next Tuesday to have a direct say in how school policy is conducted in this state.

Adopting, as we have, a republic form of government, we elect governors, legislators, mayors and council members to make most of our governmental decisions for us.

Tuesday, all registered voters in the state will get the chance to vote on Referendum No. 1, private school vouchers.

And so, in the most direct way, individual Utahns will decide whether we provide tuition vouchers of between $500 and $3,000 per child to parents who send their children to private schools.

I won't try to summarize the pros and cons to private school vouchers, which were adopted by a slim vote in the 2007 Legislature.

Between all the voucher advertising now around, I suggest that you read the official Voter Information Pamphlet, which has a good, nonpartisan summary of how the new law would work, along with a few pro and con opinion pieces about vouchers. You can read the pamphlet online for yourself at elections.utah.gov.

Except perhaps in an election for governor, the voucher vote Tuesday is not only an exercise in citizen government but a seldom-seen chance to change the course of your government.

The new voucher program, in itself, may not be as big a swing of public education operations as some may say. But over time, it has the potential to significantly change not only our public education operations, but Utah society itself.

Think how different our daily lives would be if Utah had a large religious-based private education system.

Now, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have, over time, wisely refused to operate such a K-12 system themselves. And there is no indication that church leaders would start up such a system should vouchers become law.

But whose to say that, over decades, LDS-based elementary, junior and high schools would not grow up outside of official church operations?

Utah society is unique among the states. Nowhere is one religious denomination so dominant. And, at least for now, few other states also have such a large majority of one political party.