Scarborough resident Fred Kilfoil is back to square one in his quest to ban the commercial use of slot machines in the state.

Kilfoil, a founder of No Slots for ME, has been collecting signatures for a year on a petition to ban the commercial use of slot machines in the state. But on Tuesday the group ran out of time to collect the more than 50,000 signatures needed to place the issue on the 2006 ballot.

“We didn’t turn in our petition, we just didn’t meet that number,” he said.

State law allows petitioners a year to collect the necessary signatures. After that time has expired they must start all over.

No Slots for ME already has taken its first step in the process by refiling its petition with the Secretary of State’s office. The Secretary of State must first sign off on a petition question before an organization can begin collecting signatures.

The first time Kilfoil submitted the petition, the process took 10 months, which left little time for the organization to find volunteers and get out to the polls.

“That’s a lot (of signatures),” he said. “We just didn’t know; none of us has any previous experience with this.”

This time around he is expecting a shorter wait from the Secretary of State’s office since the wording on the petition has not changed. A quick decision will leave ample time for the organization to prepare for the November election, he said.

“It’s not going to happen by accident, we’ve got to line up people,” he said.

Kilfoil was not sure of the total number of signatures he got last year. But he is confident that the group will be able to collect the necessary number this time around, especially considering the group has gotten larger and more organized.

“The difference between now and then is we have a lot more players,” he said.

No Slots for ME started with just four members and worked hard to find volunteers to deliver its message and collect signatures. But this time around the organization has the support of former governor Angus King, former gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Carter, and Michael Heath of the Christian Civic League of Maine.

“They know how it’s done and they want it done this time,” Kilfoil said. “We’re going to be moving forward on all engines.”

He thinks the expanded organization will be able to collect enough signatures that they will be able to turn in the petition by the end of November, putting the question on the ballot in 2006 after all.

“We could get that number (50,000 signatures) out of York and Cumberland counties if we’re organized,” he said.