The group has been pushing for an advisory referendum asking voters whether they want the Illinois Constitution rewritten to bar same-sex marriages. State law already prohibits gay marriage.

Election officials rejected the referendum, saying the Family Institute did not collect enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. A sampling of its petitions showed they probably had fewer than 260,000 valid signatures, short of the 283,000 required.

State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka, the party's candidate for governor, openly opposed the referendum. Meanwhile, the state GOP marshaled its efforts elsewhere.

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