Utah has seen a number of citizen initiative petition attempts in recent years, most either failing to get enough voter signatures or failing at the ballot box. But last year's referendum was the first such attempt in some time — thus the ignorance about the referendum process.

Initiatives are used for citizens to adopt a new law or amend an existing law. A referendum is just an up or down vote on an existing law, repealing it or upholding it.

Public education supporters wanted to repeal the voucher law, not change it. And ultimately voters repealed the law in a statewide 61-39 percent vote last November.

Some conservative GOP legislators who voted for vouchers (no Democrats voted for the bill) now find themselves, in re-election this year, facing constituents who voted against vouchers.

In some Salt Lake County legislative districts, for example, a few GOP incumbents face citizens who voted 2-to-1 against vouchers.

And Democrats, who decry the "arrogance of power" of long-time longtime Republican rule in Utah, promise to remind voters of that as legislative races heat up this fall.

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E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com