A judge in the state of Maine has stated that he agrees with the actions of the Secretary of State, who decided to reject a referendum proposal that would have created a casino in the southern portion of the state. Matthew Dunlap, the Secretary of State, decided that the campaign for the referendum proposal did not succeed in getting the necessary signatures for the proposal to make the ballot.

A big reason behind Dunlap’s decision was that over 32,000 signatures gathered were considered invalid due to the signature of the circulator or the notary listed was not a match to the signature the state had on file.

Yesterday, Justice Michaela Murphy announced that Dunlap was within his rights in his decision making. Dunlap stated he feels bad for the individuals who had signed a petition, showing good faith in the system, but as the Secretary of State, he has to make sure any referendum drives are done within the requirements of the Constitution.