Herbert plans to ask his colleagues in the National Lieutenant Governors Association to vote on a resolution backing a rotating system during a meeting of the group in Washington next week.

“I'm not much for the federal government getting involved in anything, this may be one area where the federal government can create some order to this chaos,” Herbert said Friday.

The resolution - which is similar to legislation already introduced in Congress - supports setting up four different regions of the country and having those regions vote on a rotating basis during March, April, May and June of the presidential election year. Utah, for example, would be part of the West region that would vote along with California, Nevada and Oregon.

If the West gets the first slot, Utah could vote anytime on or after the first Tuesday in March and other states could choose what day in that month to vote.

Iowa and New Hampshire, which have traditionally been the first in the nation to cast votes, would retain their spots.

Herbert, who is sponsoring the resolution with Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, says the proposal would calm the surge of states rushing to be first in line to cast ballots. Such moves have made this election the longest in history with Iowa voters caucusing on Jan. 3, eleven full months before the general election.

Herbert says the plan would be easier for candidates, who wouldn't have to jet back and forth from coast to coast, and also help election administrators with “a little order to the process.”

The National Association of Secretaries of State and The Council of State Governments have both endorsed the plan.

tburr@sltrib.com