But Killpack said the Senate won't drag its feet. "I think it's only fair that we move that along as expeditiously as possible," he said.

Michael Cragun, Herbert's deputy chief of staff, said that once the state Senate acts, there's no need for a formal ceremony to swear in the new lieutenant governor. "The oath of office is just a document that has to be signed," he said.

In the meantime, Cragun said, Herbert has options.

One is appointing an acting lieutenant governor, possibly at his inauguration. Or Herbert could just continue handling the duties of the lieutenant governor. Those duties include authenticating documents for foreign countries, such as visas for some LDS missionaries traveling abroad and adoption papers.

"The reality is, state government won't stop functioning just because there's no lieutenant governor," Cragun said.

Finally, if something were to happen that made Herbert unable to carry out his duties as governor before a lieutenant governor were appointed, the duties would fall to the Senate president on an interim basis.

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