A powerful state senator who pushed to get private school vouchers for special education students said Thursday Georgians support vouchers for all children.

But Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) said it was too soon to say what types of voucher legislation would be proposed.

"Ideally I'd like vouchers for everybody, but I don't know if we're there yet," he said.

He released polls showing 68 percent of voters statewide believe vouchers should be universal and 66 percent say it should go to students who attend failing schools. The telephone poll of 400 voters was conducted June 25 by Majority Opinion Research and has a margin of error of about 5 percent.

Johnson sponsored a bill during the 2008 legislative session to provide vouchers for children who attend failing public schools, but the measure stalled. The bill will be reintroduced next year, he said. He saw greater success with a voucher program for students with disabilities that legislators passed in 2007. During the program's first year, 899 children received vouchers to leave their public schools for private schools. Organizers expect more families to participate this year.

Johnson hoped the polling provides "comfort" for candidates during the campaign season. Candidates should "embrace vouchers" as a way to improve education, he said.

All Children Matter, a pro-voucher group based in Michigan, has spent about $138,000 to benefit seven legislative candidates in Georgia. Six are running for state House and one is a candidate for the state Senate.

The Alliance for School Choice helped fund lobbying efforts on a bill passed during the 2008 session to provide income tax credits for individuals and corporations who donate to organizations that give scholarships for students to attend private schools.

"There's a lot of potential in Georgia," said Lori Drummer, director of state projects for the alliance.

Voucher supporters say parents have the right to choose where their children attend class and that competition from private schools will make public schools stronger. Public school groups have fought vouchers, saying it takes money away from public schools and weakens the system.

Tim Callahan, spokesman for the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, questioned Johnson's poll results. Georgians are not ready "to turn their back on public education," Callahan said. Still, he expects more vouchers bills to be introduced next year.

"Once everybody is safely elected in November they will come forward with a lot of this nonsense," Callahan said.