AUGUSTA (AP) – More than half a dozen petition circulators greeted departing voters at City Hall on Tuesday as Election Day decisions immediately gave way to potential choices in November and beyond.

Proponents of various referendum drives staked out a polling place anteroom and a corridor outside to tout their causes and solicit signatures of support. “Very well,” said Pat Truman of Hallowell in describing the efforts of backers of a proposal to repeal the state’s gay rights law that organizers hope to put up for voting next year.

Getting a referendum question on state ballots requires signatures equivalent to 10 percent of the turnout for the last gubernatorial election.

Faith Benedetti of Winthrop was equally upbeat about the response to her petition seeking to bolster Maine’s medical marijuana law. “We’re looking for 2009. We’re going to be collecting signatures until January. And this is a really good turnout,” she said.

Other petition drives under way around Maine include more accelerated efforts – people’s veto campaigns aimed at overturning a recently enacted measure dealing with Real ID license restrictions and blocking new taxes to pay for the state-sponsored Dirigo Health insurance program.

Both of those campaigns face June 17 deadlines to collect at least 55,087 signatures needed to get their proposals on the November 2008 ballot.

The so-called beverage tax repeal, which was represented in the Augusta City Hall petition gauntlet, would scrap new or increased taxes on beer, wine and soda and new surcharges on claims insurers must pay to help fund Dirigo Health.

The proposed repeal of the new Dirigo law and the taxes it contains has prompted some organized resistance in hopes of denying proponents the requisite number of signatures.

Similar resistance was pledged against the Christian Civic League of Maine’s proposal to repeal Maine’s law protecting gays and lesbians from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodation, credit and education. The proposal promoted by the civic league also would provide that only one unmarried person or one married couple jointly may adopt a person. It additionally would reaffirm Maine’s law prohibiting marriage by persons of the same sex.

Other offerings for Augusta voters at a table outside the polling area were proposals to decrease the automobile excise tax, provide tax relief and lower health insurance rates.