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Posted: 1:07 PM- Grass roots organizers are still hoping to gather 92,000 signatures by 5 p.m. today to force a referendum on public funding for Real Salt Lake's soccer stadium.
Gary Forbush, a volunteer with the "Get Real Utah" campaign, delivered 6,000 signatures this morning to the Salt Lake County Clerk's office and said he is "very optimistic" they can meet the goal.
"It's still really too early to tell," he said. "We have several hundred - if not a thousand -packets out there circulating."
Petition co-sponsor Brad Swedlund acknowledged Sunday that the effort could fall "far short."
By law, petitioners must gather signatures from at least 10 percent of registered voters who participated in the last gubernatorial election in 15 counties. That means 36,068 signatures are needed in Salt Lake County alone, county clerk Sherrie Swensen said.
Businesses listed at http://www.getrealutah.org" Target="_BLANK">http://www.getrealutah.org are still collecting signatures today. Forbush encouraged those with packets to bring them to their respective county clerks' offices by 5 p.m.
Swensen has hired 25 extra workers to help verify signatures from both the RSL referendum drive and a second effort aimed at toppling private school vouchers.
Forbush said if his group fails to place the stadium issue on the ballot this fall, it's because state referendum law is too cumbersome - not because of a lack of public opposition to a bill that directs $35 million of Salt Lake County hotel taxes to the planned stadium in Sandy.
"The referendum process is broken," Forbush said. "To have to do pen on paper in this day when we can e-file our taxes ... it's just archaic. If we don't end up making it with the number of signatures, I hope we can maybe have a more thoughtful conversation about referendum reform."
rwinters@sltrib.com" Target="_BLANK">rwinters@sltrib.com