PORTLAND – Real ID opponents fell far short of the number of signatures needed to force a statewide vote aimed at repealing tougher regulations for obtaining driver’s licenses to bring Maine closer to compliance with the federal law, they said Thursday.

Groups that led a “people’s veto” petition drive gathered 24,125 signatures, more than 30,000 shy of what was necessary to put the measure on the November ballot.

“It’s not lack of support that keeps us off the ballot. It’s lack of time,” said Kathleen McGee, lead petitioner in the effort to repeal the state law.

Thursday marked the end of a 60-day period for gathering 55,087 signatures to be turned into the Secretary of State’s Office to put the measure on the ballot.

Earlier in the week, the Fed Up with Taxes coalition turned over more than enough signatures in its effort to require a statewide vote to repeal new taxes on beer, wine and soda. The secretary of state has 30 days to validate those signatures.

As for Real ID, McGee and others said they were optimistic because 652 volunteers collected signatures in more than 350 towns, and they vowed to press forward with their efforts.

“We are frustrated and we’re angry, and we’re going to use every tool in our arsenal to repeal this law,” McGee told reporters. “This is not over for us,” she added.

Maine was the first state in the nation to adopt a law forbidding the Secretary of State’s Office, which oversees motor vehicle regulations, from complying with the Real ID Act, an anti-terrorism law supported by the Bush administration after the attacks of Sept. 11.

The law that tightens driver’s license requirements in Maine came about after negotiations between the governor’s office and the Department of Homeland Security.

In adopting the law, Maine joined 44 other states, including the rest of New England, in making proof of legal U.S. residency a requirement for getting a driver’s license.

Critics say the state law violates Mainers’ privacy rights and opens the door to greater government intrusion in the lives of residents.

Already, the Maine Department of Public Safety has been awarded a federal grant for facial recognition technology and other driver’s license security enhancements.

“Having to be fingerprinted or undergo facial recognition screening in order to get a driver’s license is like something out of a bad science fiction movie,” said Zachary Heiden, legal director for the Maine Civil Liberties Union in Portland. “With Maine’s Real ID compliance law about to go into effect, Mainers are both less free and less secure.”

Gov. John Baldacci defended the changes, which will allow Mainers to continue to use their driver’s licenses in airports and in federal buildings. Also, a separate law adopted by the Legislature last spring requires Mainers to show proof of state residency to get a license.

“I think most Mainers recognize that the driver’s license reforms we passed early this year are reasonable,” Baldacci said Thursday in a statement. “We shouldn’t be issuing state credentials to people who are in the country illegally or who don’t actually live in Maine.”