In August 2008, a group opposed to same-sex unions asked the Costa Rican electoral authority, the "Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones" (TSE), to hold a referendum on the subject, an action opposed by most organizations supporting same-sex civil unions in the country. On November 5, 2008, the TSE authorized the group to start collecting the signatures required by law to trigger the referendum (5% of registered voters). By July 2010, the required signatures had been collected and the TSE started the process to hold the referendum on December 5, 2010. In the meantime, several organizations and individuals, including the Ombudsman Office of Costa Rica, asked the Supreme Court to consider the legality of the proposed referendum. On August 10, 2010, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) declared such a referendum unconstitutional. The court concluded that same-sex couples constituted a disadvantaged minority group subject to discrimination, and that allowing a referendum regarding their rights could potentially enable the non-LGBT majority to limit the rights of same-sex couples and thereby increase discrimination.