One of the petitions related to a proposed casino project in Wood Village, a state constitutional amendment that would allow private non-tribal casinos in Oregon, has narrowly qualified for the November ballot.

It’s a change in fortune for Lake Oswego businessmen Matt Rossman and Bruce Studer, who are looking to build a casino and entertainment complex at the former greyhound racetrack in Wood Village. The duo was unable to get enough signatures to qualify a similar constitutional amendment for the ballot in November 2008.

The amendment, which needed at least 116,284 valid signatures from registered voters to qualify for the ballot, contained 116,521 valid signatures, or 55.35 percent of the 210,521 signatures accepted for verification, according to the Elections Division.

The constitutional amendment would require new private casinos to get approval from local voters and to pay 25 percent of their revenues to the state Lottery.

It would also prohibit the operation of a private casino within 60 miles of an existing tribal casino.

The companion measure, a statutory amendment that would allow a casino to be established at the racetrack, is still going through the signature-verification process by the Elections Division of the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office.

That petition needs 87,213 valid signatures to qualify for the November ballot. As of Monday, July 2, the Elections Division had verified 74,030 signatures out of 122,668 signatures accepted for verification.

Casino backers submitted an additional 32,744 unverified signatures by the deadline on July 6. The Elections Division has 30 days from the deadline to verify the signatures.

If the casino petitions successfully qualify for the November ballot, it will be a second chance for Rossman and Studer to persuade voters to allow their project to proceed.

In November 2010, voters rejected their first casino measure by 68 percent.

Rossman and Studer said they have changed the language of the initiatives a bit to gain more support, and they have put together a political team to manage the campaign.

The Elections Division was still processing signatures for five petitions. It already has approved a measure to ban commercial, non-tribal fishing with gillnets in the Columbia River, a measure that would allow the cultivation and sale of marijuana through licensed stores and a measure to ban real estate transfer taxes and fees.

Another petition to legalize the use, possession and production of marijuana did not get enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.