CHRISTIANSBURG -- The group of residents working to bring a referendum to move Christiansburg's elections from May to November of odd-numbered years has turned in its petition with more than double the number of signatures volunteers aimed to collect.

To get the referendum placed on a ballot, the group needed a petition with signatures from at least 10 percent of voters registered in the town as of Jan. 1. The number they were told to shoot for was 1,299.

After getting friends and family to sign the petition, the group set up at various polling places Nov. 4 to get voters to sign the petition.

Town Councilman Henry Showalter, an advocate for the group, delivered notarized petitions with 2,739 signatures to the Montgomery County clerk of the circuit court's office Tuesday.

"We should see it on the ballot next November," Showalter announced at Tuesday's town council meeting.

The petitions will be reviewed by Circuit Court Judge Ray Grubbs to verify that the names and addresses belong to people registered to vote in the town, before being subject to review by the state Justice Department.

-- Lerone Graham