Supporters of Medicaid expansion say they have collected the required number of signatures to put a state question on the ballot next year.

Nearly two weeks shy of the Oct. 28 deadline, the Yes on 802 campaign has collected the 178,000 signatures required by state law, campaign manager Amber England announced Thursday evening on a conference call for the campaign's volunteers.

But signature-gatherers will continue collecting circulating petitions until closer to the deadline, she said.

“We can’t afford to just squeak by,” she said. “We need to deliver a message that will resonate across the state later this month when we turn in these signatures.”