Supporters of a people’s veto initiative to block Maine’s two-year state budget soon will be able to begin collecting signatures now that the state has approved language for the petitions.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows on Monday released the official language, which also will appear on the statewide ballot if the long-shot effort is successful.

The question is: “Do you want to stop most state government operations and programs, including new and ongoing state funding for cities, towns, and schools, by rejecting the state’s two-year budget?”

A group of six current and former Republican lawmakers led by Rep. Gary Drinkwater, R-Milford, filed paperwork with the secretary of state’s office last month to initiate a people’s veto of the two-year, $11.3 billion budget passed by Democrats.

The legislation is scheduled to take effect at the end of June, in time for the start of the next fiscal year on July 1.

Drinkwater said last month that the people’s veto effort is being made in response to concerns about the tax increases that may be proposed in the next phase of budget work, as well as Republicans being “shut out of the budget process.”

The effort could leave Maine without an approved budget for a period of time. Even submitting the required number of signatures would pause implementation before a vote, the secretary of state’s office said.

However, organizers have only two months to meet the deadline.

The applicants have until 5 p.m. on June 18 to submit at least 67,682 signatures from registered Maine voters to the secretary of state’s office to pause implementation of the budget and send the question to voters in November.