AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – Maine Grassroots Coalition leader Paul Madore marveled at what he described as the final surge of petitions supporting a people’s veto referendum on Maine’s pending gay rights law.

“They just kept coming and coming and coming,” he told a jubilant group of about 50 opponents of the challenged law who gathered on the State House steps Tuesday to highlight their effort.

“They’re saying they have a little over 57,000 signatures,” said Deputy Secretary of State Julie Flynn, who will oversee a process of verification slated to begin virtually immediately.

If certified, that would surpass the threshold of 50,519 signatures needed to put the measure on the November ballot. The ballot would read: “Do you want to reject the new law that would protect people from discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations and credit based on their sexual orientation?”

Twice before, Maine voters have rejected similar legislation.

This time, the debate has strongly taken on a new overtone, with gay rights law opponents linking the question – unfairly, in the view of proponents of anti-discrimination legislation, who held their own State House rally Tuesday – to the issue of same-sex marriage.

Indeed, Madore, Michael Heath of the Christian Civic League of Maine and others at the people’s veto rally on the State House steps assembled under a banner that said, “The Coalition for Marriage.”

The pending measure was written to amend the Maine Human Rights Act by making discrimination illegal in employment, housing, credit, public accommodations and education based on sexual orientation or gender. Maine law now prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, disability, religion, ancestry and national origin.

The new law would exempt religious organizations that do not receive public funds. The enacted legislation includes language declaring that the measure is not meant to address a right to marry.

Madore cast the basic issue in familiar terms Tuesday, saying proponents of the challenged law were “wishing to confer minority class status on homosexuals.”

His wife Susan recalled a petition drive that she said was marred by insults directed at circulators.

“Talk about toleration,” she said.

Backers of the law offered a similarly familiar argument, reduced at times to chanting, inside the State House Hall of Flags.

“Maine won’t discriminate,” the crowd of close to 100 people cheered repeatedly. Looking toward a November showdown at the polls, they added loudly: “Vote no.”

Jesse Connolly of Maine Won’t Discriminate declared that “Maine has zero tolerance for discrimination” and that gay rights proponents were “ready to win in November.”

On an otherwise quiet day at a relatively empty State House manned by early summer skeleton staffs, rival factions from two of the most committed political alliances in the state put their passions on display.

For state election officials, it marked the start of a new job.

The secretary of state’s office has 30 days to determine if enough valid signatures have been submitted to force a referendum. Flynn said Tuesday it was a demanding chore, but could have been worse.

This time, she said, state officials have no other batch of petitions to review within the allotted time. For budgetary reasons, however, she suggested the office would be looking to conduct its review during normal business hours to avoid overtime costs.