OAKLAND, Calif. – Same-sex marriage advocates have failed to gather enough petition signatures to place on November’s ballot a measure that would repeal Proposition 8’s constitutional ban.

Though it didn’t gather at least 694,354 valid signatures from registered voters by Monday’s deadline, the Restore Equality 2010 Coalition insists the effort wasn’t in vain, in that it sets a firm foundation for another try in 2012.

“It’s a money problem and it’s a volunteer problem,” said Love Honor Cherish director John Henning, whose group had led the petition effort. “We just didn’t have quite the volunteer army that was needed.”