Maine voters might not get the chance to legalize recreational cannabis this November.
The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol collected more than 103,000 signatures, much more than the 61,123 needed to make the November ballot. But state election officials announced on Wednesday that only 51,543 signatures were technically valid.
The campaign said in a release that it appears that roughly 17,000 signatures were invalidated due to a discrepancy with the signature of a single notary whose commission is still current with the state. The signature of the notary reportedly does not match the signature the state has on file.
“We are exploring all legal means available to appeal this determination,” a campaign spokesman said in the release, indicating that the campaign may even take the secretary of state to court over the issue.
Maine was widely expected to be an easy win for recreational cannabis advocates this November, with one 2015 poll finding 65% support from voters for rec legalization.
