SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – Advocates for legalizing recreational marijuana in South Dakota have submitted thousands of petition signatures to the secretary of state, enough to place the initiative on the November ballot.

South Dakotans for Better Marijuana Laws has scrambled in recent days to gather the nearly 17,000 petition signatures required to place a proposed law on the ballot. The signatures must come from registered South Dakota voters.

Matt Schweich, campaign director for the organization, says the campaign evaluated the petitions and estimates it has at least 19,250 valid signatures.