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Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. signed the nation's most comprehensive voucher program into law even before the legislative session ended in February.

But in the months since the law was challenged, the widely popular governor has been absent from the campaign to get it through a referendum.

"So far he is behind it, but relatively invisible," says Brigham Young University political scientist Quin Monson. "If this is a big issue before the state, you would expect him to be talking about it."

The voucher program, which would provide $500 to $3,000 to Utah families for private school tuition, was successfully blocked by a petition drive last summer and thrown into a Nov. 6 referendum.

In recent weeks, anti-voucher ads, funded in large part by the National Education Association, attempt to sow doubt on the issue by raising questions about the program. Pollsters say voters tend to reject measures on which they have doubts.

The pro-voucher side, led by Parents for Choice, has countered with a series of radio and television ads that link voucher opposition to liberal icons such as Sens. Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, unions, the American Civil Liberties Union and anti-war MoveOn.org - infamous among conservatives for its recent "General Petraeus or General Betray Us?" attack ad.

But the only evidence of Huntsman's support in the spots is a close-up of his signature that made the bill a law.

Voucher advocates acknowledge that the point of the ads may be obscure to some voters, but the spots get across a clear and unforgettable statement to many Utahns: Vouchers are opposed by liberal Democrats.

"Utah voters deserve to know who is behind this effort," says PFC spokeswoman Leah Barker. "The [National Teachers Association] and Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton are all aligned against vouchers. It's all about big government."

University of Utah political scientist Matthew Burbank says he understands the logic that the ads might appeal to free-market conservatives. "For people who see themselves as very conservative, that's a strong argument," he says. "But those people are already going for vouchers."

But the strategy misses a wide swath of undecided voters.

"The ads are not really making a case of why people should vote for vouchers," Burbank says. "It may have something to do with the resources they have. But it seems like a remarkably weak effort to me."

Since signing the bill into law, the governor has not actively campaigned for vouchers. Huntsman says vouchers are only one aspect of education, but argues his support is obvious in that he signed the bill and tells people whenever he is asked that he will vote "yes" on vouchers. It's not appropriate for him to become a "poster child" for vouchers, he said.

"I'm asking people simply to get smart on the issues and get beyond the rhetoric," Huntsman said at a recent press conference on public television station KUED-TV. "The only thing I haven't done is become a pitch person for one side or the other."

BYU's Monson says more active involvement from Huntsman would have a significant impact on undecided voters.

"He has extremely high approval rating - people like him. And he has credibility on this issue, in particular, because he pushed for a huge increase in spending on public education at the same time he signed the voucher bill," Monson says. "If he spoke out, it likely would make a difference. Would it make the difference? Don't know. But without more support, it's likely to be defeated."

"Governor Huntsman saying 'I'm not going to do any campaigning on this' doesn't help the pro-voucher side," agrees the U's Burbank. "People feel favorable toward him. He is in the perfect position to make the case for vouchers."

But voucher advocates say they are satisfied with Huntsman's low-key approach on the issue. "We are 100 percent pleased with his support," says spokeswoman Camden Hubbard.

"I think the governor is committed to letting the democratic process decide this," says Doug Holmes, who has committed money and time to getting vouchers in place.

Rep. Greg Hughes, a key lawmaker in the voucher push, predicts Huntsman's support will escalate. "He will have a much stronger role in weeks to come - in the proper context," Hughes said. "He has great political capital and credibility. You will see his creditability and capital spent on seeing vouchers pass."