But Buttars did decide to run for a third term to fight the good fight, stamp out Darwinism, stick it to the gays and, for good measure, slam anybody who questions the right of his good buddy Wendell Gibby to develop anything he wants on a sensitive mountainside in Utah County.

Or, could it be, Buttars needed a third term to be in the Legislature for 10 years. And why is 10 years such a magic number?

Because once a legislator serves for 10 years, he or she, under the laws the legislators passed, qualifies for the premium state health insurance for life.

Of course, this is the same group of legislators who took away the state employees' right to bank their sick leave and swap it for health coverage when they retire.

But they're just the little people.

Other senators who needed to win this election to get that coveted 10-year qualification include: Republicans Carlene Walker, Curt Bramble and Scott Jenkins, as well as Rep. Steve Urquhart, who ran for the Senate this year, and Democratic Rep. Brad King, who also ran for the Senate.

Representatives reaching the magic number with a win this year included Republicans Doug Aagard, Roger Barrus, Eric Hutchings, MerLynn Newbold, Stephen Clark and Dave Clark, and Democrats David Litvack and Carol Spackman Moss.

Officer friendly: Another privilege legislators apparently have that is not available to the rest of us is the ability to summon the Highway Patrol for no other reason than their suspicion that someone might do something they don't like while they are campaigning.

It would be like you having your own personal trooper come to your house just because a streaker might run by sometime during the day.

As I mentioned last week, when Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, heard that political rival Mike Ridgway would attend and wanted to film his debate with Democratic opponent Radene Hatfield, he asked the Highway Patrol to be there. And they came. Even though nothing happened.

Now, I learn, Chet Bateman e-mailed Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, to complain he was owed a good sum of money by a supporter of Wimmer's who offered to buy everyone participating in a door-to-door literature drop on Saturday a hamburger lunch.

Bateman opined that Wimmer was benefiting from money that should go to pay off the debt. Then he said he would conduct a peaceful protest at the event.

Wimmer wrote back that the Highway Patrol would be there to make sure nobody interfered with the campaign event.

Do Democrats get that kind of service?

Double trouble: Warren Woodward and his wife were looking forward to voting for Democrat Jay Seegmiller against House Speaker Greg Curtis in House District 49. He voted before he went to work; she voted later in the morning.

But while he voted against Curtis, she didn't because, well, Curtis wasn't on the ballot she got.

But Democrats shouldn't be the only ones worried. She got the House District 45 ballot, which shares the voting location with District 49. She voted for Democrat Laura Black in a close race with incumbent Republican Brian Monsen.

A real number: A state legislator received a recorded voice-mail message Tuesday on the legislator's state-issued Blackberry from Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert in support of Republican Salt Lake County Councilman Mark Crockett's re-election bid.

The legislator does not give out that number, to anybody. So it appears Herbert was using a state list, which is not available to the public.

Not only that, but the legislator in question doesn't even live in Salt Lake County.

We already did that: Some elections workers reported getting calls from Utah voters asking why Proposition 8 (California's anti-gay marriage proposal) was not on their ballots.