AUGUSTA -- Maine election officials have drafted the question that will appear on the state referendum ballot if opponents of the recently enacted same-sex marriage bill collect enough signatures.

Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said Tuesday that the question that will appear on petitions is as follows:

"Do you want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry and allows individuals and religious groups to refuse to perform these marriages?"

Dunlap and staff from the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions completed work Tuesday on the master petition for citizens wishing to reject the law that would legalize same-sex unions.

"An Act to Promote Marriage Equality and Affirm Religious Freedom" was passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor on May 6, and is scheduled to take effect 90 days after the adjournment of the Legislature in mid-June.

Maine citizens have an amount of time, from when a bill is signed by the governor until it is effective, to collect and have verified a number of signatures of registered Maine voters equivalent to 10 percent of the total votes for governor in the last gubernatorial election in order to force a statewide vote on the measure.

The current threshold to force a so-called "people's veto" is 55,087 certified signatures. Petitioners have until 90 days after the Legislature adjourns to collect 55,087 signatures.

The secretary of state then has 30 days to certify the signatures.

If the secretary of state rules that sufficient signatures have been affixed on the instrument of petition, the stay continues until after the voters decide on the question at a statewide election.