LITTLE ROCK (AP) – Supporters of a proposal that would ban unmarried couples living together from adopting or fostering children turned in another 31,012 signatures on Thursday in the hopes of placing their measure on the fall ballot.

The Arkansas Family Council Action Committee said the petitions submitted brings their total number of signatures gathered to 96,911. Last month, the group fell short of the 61,974 needed to place its proposed initiated act on the Nov. 4 ballot.

The group was given another 30 days to gather additional signatures last month after Secretary of State Charlie Daniels said they had only submitted 57,888 valid signatures from registered voters.

“This has exceeded what we thought we could do during the supplemental filing period,” Family Council President Jerry Cox said.

The Family Council campaign is a response to a 2006 Arkansas Supreme Court decision striking down a state policy that specifically banned gays and lesbians from becoming foster parents. State policy currently bars unmarried couples living together from serving as foster parents.

The proposal already faces the threat of a court challenge from opponents who say they plan on suing to keep the measure off the ballot if it is approved by the Secretary of State’s office.

Arkansas Families First has already found signatures that it believes should have been tossed out as invalid by the state, lead consultant Debbie Willhite said.

Willhite said the campaign against the proposed initiated act is already preparing to petition the Arkansas Supreme Court if the secretary of state’s office says backers of the proposal have submitted enough signatures.

“We do intend to enjoin the initiative,” Willhite said. “We’re quite optimistic that we’ll keep this from being voted on.”

Arkansas Families First has more than $45,000 in the bank to finance efforts to fight the measure and raised $13,345 last month, according to a campaign-finance report filed Tuesday. Its expenses included $1,755 paid to the secretary of state’s office for copies of the petitions submitted by the Arkansas Family Council Action Committee, which proposed the ban.

Last month, the committee submitted signatures to get the measure on the November ballot, but fell short of the necessary 61,794 necessary signatures. The committee got another 30 days to gather more signatures.

“Those are the types of things we’re looking at,” Willhite said. “We’re also going to challenge it on the sufficiency of the title and the constitutionality of this proposed initiated act.”

The group is in a better position financially than the Arkansas Family Council Action Committee, sponsor of the proposal, which raised $9,000 last month.

The committee reported a debt of nearly $2,800 as of July 31. The group’s expenses total more than $57,000.

Willhite said the group found forged signatures, petitions that were notarized before they were signed and other discrepancies. The group said it will also have investigators look into whether canvassers witnessed every signature made on petitions. Cox said he believed the proposal, aimed at banning gays and lesbians from fostering or adopting children, would withstand a court challenge and said backers gathered the signatures properly.

“While this will be a distraction and a diversion for us, I believe we will prevail in court,” Cox said.