It’s a start.

Nebraska media outlets report that Nebraska Civil Rights Initiative supporters have gathered enough signatures to get the proposal on November’s ballot. More than enough: gatherers need 114,000 signatures, and they’ve presented 167,000.

The CRI’s progress during that past few weeks has been steady enough to make this milestone unsurprising. But a one fact proves that the initiative has more widespread support than its opponents are willing to admit. The petition needed signatures from 5 percent of registered voters in each of 38 counties. The group says it reached the 5 percent level in all 93 Nebraska counties.

Nebraskans United, the group recorded unfairly and unreasonably opposing the ban, has already threatened legal action, and attempts to invalidate most of the signatures. But while no signature drive can be perfect, those 53,000 extra John Hancocks could be all the insurance against opposition the NCRI needs, and it’s augur of success in November.