Voters in Utah have soundly rejected a proposal that would have created the nation's first universal school voucher program. The statewide ballot measure, known as Referendum 1, asked voters to vote for or against the program, which would have provided private school vouchers to all families, regardless of income. The law squeaked by the state Legislature earlier this year but had yet to be implemented.

The referendum, which was on the Nov. 6 ballot, failed in every county, including the "conservative bastion of Utah County," reported the Salt Lake Tribune.

"Utah voters have underscored America's unwavering support for public education," says AFT president Edward J. McElroy. "Vouchers weaken the public schools, which serve the vast majority of our nation's children. Clearly, Utah's voters took a look at the facts and chose to support the success of their students over the misleading claims of voucher proponents."

The Utah voucher vote also was significant because it's been 30 years since the state has had a "citizen's veto" referendum, a process that allows voters to endorse or rescind a measure that has become law. Education groups quickly gathered 120,000 signatures to put the referendum on the ballot.