School voucher opponents cleared their largest hurdle in getting the issue on the state ballot by collecting more than 90,000 valid signatures from Utah voters.

The fact that they succeeded while another group (the one trying to put the Real Salt Lake stadium funding question on the ballot) failed shows the immense public interest in the voucher debate.

Now Gov. Huntsman has set the vote for Nov. 6 -- regular election day. This year it consists mainly of municipal races.

The only other option for the governor was February, when the state has its presidential primary. A separate election for vouchers was out of the question because of cost.

We applaud the governor for picking November. In our view, it is the best time. A November election addresses the issue in a timely manner. The voucher program, which was passed into law earlier this year, is complex and controversial because it involves two separate legislative bills. One passed by a narrow margin and is subject to change by ballot initiative. The other, a virtual duplicate, passed by more than two-thirds in the Legislature and is therefore not subject to challenge by voters under the state constitution.

Proponents say that if the first bill is scrapped by voters, the second one remains in legal force.

If November's vote goes against vouchers, a legal battle will likely ensue to address the validity of the second voucher law. Thus, the sooner the referendum is behind us, the sooner all such issues can be put to rest.

Waiting until February for the vote would have been unwise. If one version of the law is struck down by the voters, and if politics or court rulings prevent the implementation of the other version, you can bet that supporters will push the Legislature to reintroduce vouchers in the 2008 general session, which starts in the middle of January. A February vote would have been awkward.

Besides, there is no guarantee that primary elections get the best voter turnout. In the last presidential primary, in 2000, only 10.1 percent of the state's voters turned out at the polls. While municipal races do not usually bring Utah voters out in droves, the turnout is, on average, about double that. Municipal races arguably have greater effect on people's everyday lives than a presidential campaign, so combining a school issue with municipal races may play to the personal stake people have in the outcome. Also, people are simply accustomed to voting in November. The voucher referendum may actually improve turnout for the municipal elections.

We'll be glad to see this issue settled -- and especially glad if it is settled in favor of school choice, as it should be.

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The Daily Herald will publish comments on May 20.