Referendum 71 proponents have been saying for days that they're on the verge of printing petitions, but the process has faced repeated delays, apparently from the technical challenge of compressing a 113-page bill onto a petition form that people can actually read.

"It will go to print this afternoon," Faith and Freedom Network President Gary Randall wrote in an e-mail to supporters this morning.

"I and all of us working on this effort are fully aware of the number of days remaining until the names must be turned in to the state," he wrote. (They need more than 120,000 signatures by July 25th.) Randall said the group plans to add a time clock, ticking down the minutes, to its website.

"We are aware that there are some who should be on our side but are not, for whatever reason. And are predicting our failure," he wrote. "We are also aware there are those whom we knew would do all they could to oppose us and they have and are."

He said "several thousand" people have requested petitions so far.

The group's political action committee board includes three Republican state lawmakers: local Rep. Matt Shea, from Mead; Sen. Dan Swecker and Rep. Jim McCune.

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