Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert's entire budget for fiscal 2008 will be spent by Feb. 5 of next year.

It's not an opportunity to get rid of Herbert, some legislators joked Wednesday. Not really.

The 2008 Legislature will just have to give his office — which will oversee and pay for both a Nov. 6 special election on vouchers and the Feb. 5 presidential primary — more money when it meets next January.

"We don't have any choice," Herbert told an open House Republican caucus meeting at the state Capitol complex. "We have to do this" — pay for an extra statewide referendum this November.

Voters then will cast ballots on whether to adopt or kill a private school voucher plan in Utah. It costs about $3.5 million to hold a statewide election using the new electronic voting machines — which are also required by law.

Utah's 220 cities and towns will be holding municipal elections this Nov. 6. In some cities, like Salt Lake City, there is a mayor's race, so all city residents will go to the polls. But in many other cities there is no city-wide election, just a few council seats are up.

In addition, most counties are not holding elections this year. So citizens in unincorporated areas don't have a vote.

And by including many city residents and rural residents in the voucher election, it will cost an extra $2.35 million — money that was not in Herbert's budget.

By bringing all city recorders and county clerks together, Herbert said there is consensus that this November's elections will be run by the 29 county clerks, with Herbert looking over their shoulders to make sure Utah election law is followed.

"How much would we save if I personally counted all the votes in November?" joked Rep. Steve Urquhart, R-St. George. Urquhart is the sponsor of HB148, the main voucher bill that goes before voters in November and wants the anti-voucher referendum to fail at the ballot box.

But humor aside, both Herbert and House GOP Assistant Majority Whip Rep. Brad Dee, R-Washington Terrace, said that there is so much controversy and hard feelings over vouchers that the Nov. 6 vote must be accurate and defendable should there be any court challenges.

While some cities or towns would have used paper or punch-card ballots this fall, because there is now a statewide election the more-expensive electronic voting machines must be used, said Herbert, the state's official elections officer.

The state will have a huge tax surplus at the end of this fiscal year July 1. And Herbert asked that when lawmakers adopt what's called their baseline budget the first week of the 2008 Legislature, that they include the $2.35 million his office will need then.

House Republicans made no promises Wednesday, but it's assumed they will help out Herbert — a fellow Republican — with extra money.

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E-mail: bbjr@desnews.com