Joe Pyrah

Utah state senators are particularly good about keeping their appointments, and we're not talking about lunch.

While the law currently says that they must face an election in the first November available, that body is now pushing a bill that would allow appointed senators to fill out the full term of the person they replace.

The argument in favor of the bill is that it can be exhausting going through the appointment process only to turn around and potentially face a full-blown election just months later. Such was the case with Sen. Sheldon Killpack, R-Syracuse, who, after the bill was introduced this week, belted out "Where the hell were you five years ago?" referring to his own appointment and subsequent election.

But there's a flip side, say opponents and experts.

Sen. Scott McCoy, himself appointed, opposed the bill saying that it takes away the will of the people, especially if a senator is appointed shortly after the person being replaced was elected.

They should have to "face the voters sooner rather than later," he said.

It's a tough call, says Kelly Patterson, director for BYU's Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy.

"Links of representation that have been forged could be more tenuous," he said.

It also ensconces the senator as an incumbent. Incumbents at the federal level win more than 90 percent of re-elections, and while it's less at the state level, it's probably still in the 70-80 percent range, Patterson said.

"That person has even more of an advantage the next time around ... especially in a primary," he said.

That's where the real work is done in Republican-dominated Utah County, as Democrats or third-party candidates have had little success against the party for a decade or more.

That said, Patterson agreed that piling up appointments and elections can be distracting and take away from a legislator's performance.

When asked what the governor thought about the possibility of appointing senators for a full term instead of short-term, spokeswoman Lisa Roskelley said the bill didn't give him serious concern.

Friday the bill passed the Senate 21-5 and was handed over to the House for consideration.