Several states putting minimum wage on the ballot in November

By the numbers

Seven states have considered adding a ballot initiative to raise their minimum wage ahead of the November 6 midterm elections, according to Ballotpedia.

• In Arkansas, voters will choose whether to raise the minimum wage from $8.50 to $11 per hour over a three-year period. A recent poll found that 60% of Arkansas voters support the measure.
• In Missouri, the ballot measure proposes increasing the rate from $7.85 to $12 by 2023, with an $0.85 hike each year until then.
• In Michigan, rather than allow voters to approve the measure themselves, the state legislature passed a bill to raise the minimum wage from $9.25 to $12 by 2020. However, critics argue that because the initiative will no longer appear on the ballot in November, the Republican-led legislature can vote to overturn the measure with a simple majority before it even takes effect. Overturning a ballot referendum, meanwhile, would have required a three-fourths majority.
• In Massachusetts, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker compromised with proponents of a ballot initiative by signing a bill to raise the minimum wage from $11 to $15 over five years, rather than four.

• Campaigns in Florida, Washington and North Dakota all proposed ballot initiatives for 2018, but failed to submit signatures before the state deadlines.

Go deeper: None of the state minimum wages provide a family living wage

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