Minimum wage increases among hot topics featured on 2014 ballots

August 26, 2014

By Brittany Clingen

Voters will be weighing in on some of the nation's most contentious topics during the November 4, 2014, elections. Decisions made at the ballot box will establish important precedents and set the tone for future elections, based on which measures are approved and defeated. For further analyses and information on 2014 ballot measures, see this report.

Voting on Minimum Wage
Ballot Measures
By state
By year
Not on ballot
Local Labor and unions Local wages and pay

Minimum wage

The issue of raising the minimum wage has become a hotly contested topic at the local, state and federal levels. In the wake of Congress' failure to increase the federal minimum wage, states have taken it upon themselves to do what Washington could not, with some raising the minimum wage via the state legislators and others turning to the voters. At least four state ballots will feature minimum wage increase questions in November. A fifth measure in Arkansas has the potential to go before voters, if enough of its signatures are certified.

Certified measures:

• Alaska Ballot Measure 3: Alaska has had a unique relationship with minimum wage rates over the years. It was the first state to adopt a minimum wage higher than that at the federal level. Furthermore, it maintained the highest minimum wage rate for more than 30 years after achieving statehood in 1959. However, the last time the minimum wage rose was in 2009 when the rate was increased from $7.15 to $7.25 per hour, in accordance with the federal minimum wage rate. Supporters of Ballot Measure 3 think a wage raise is long overdue and have put the issue before voters. If approved in November, the measure would increase the state's minimum wage from $7.75 per hour to $8.75 beginning January 1, 2015. It would be increased again on January 1, 2016, to $9.75 per hour and, from there on, be adjusted based on inflation or remain $1 higher than the federal minimum wage, whichever amount is greater.

• Illinois Minimum Wage Increase Question: Though Illinois voters will not be raising their state's minimum wage via the ballot, they will be able to weigh in on the topic and let legislators know whether a majority approves of an increase. The Illinois Minimum Wage Increase Question is an advisory question and, therefore, is non-binding. However, the vote will serve as a sort of barometer for those in the state legislature. "This November, Illinois voters will have the opportunity to send a clear signal to lawmakers that we must have an economy that works for everyone," said Gov. Pat Quinn (D). The measure will ask voters whether they support increasing the hourly minimum wage to $10 by January 1, 2015. The state's minimum wage is currently $8.25 per hour.

• Nebraska Initiative 425: After gridlock prevented the passage of a minimum wage bill in the Nebraska Legislature, one lawmaker, Sen. Jeremy Nordquist (NP-7), decided to put the issue in the hands of voters. With the help of FieldWorks, a campaign consultant business specializing in ballot initiatives, Nordquist was able to successfully gather the 80,386 valid signatures required to refer the measure to the ballot. Voters will be asked whether the minimum wage should be increased first from $7.25 to $8.00 on January 1, 2015, and then from $8.00 to $9.00 on January 1, 2016.

• South Dakota Initiated Measure 18: In South Dakota, the hourly minimum wage has traditionally risen in concurrence with that of the federal level. Voters may change this pattern come November when they vote on Initiated Measure 18. The measure would increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $8.50 per hour beginning January 1, 2015, and it would guarantee an increase in the minimum wage each year to account for inflation. Additionally, the measure would set tipped employees' wages at half that of the minimum wage, raising their hourly pay from $2.13 to $4.25. The measure is sponsored by the South Dakota Democratic Party, as well as some labor unions.

Potential measure:

• Arkansas Minimum Wage Initiative: Supporters of increasing the minimum wage in Arkansas are still holding out hope that the issue will go before voters in November. Though there was controversy surrounding the deadline by which the first round of signatures had to be submitted to the secretary of state for verification, supporters were ultimately allowed to continue collecting and submitting signatures until the final deadline of August 18, 2014. The supporting group, Give Arkansas a Raise Now, successfully submitted an additional 69,070 signatures by the final deadline, 15,107 of which must be deemed valid in order to land the measure on the ballot. The initiative seeks to increase the state’s minimum wage from $6.25 to $7.50 per hour on January 1, 2015, to $8 on January 1, 2016, and to $8.50 per hour on January 1, 2017.