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U.S. voters boost minimum wages, legalize pot in state ballots

U.S. voters raised the minimum wage in five states, including Illinois and Nebraska, as part of a wave of local efforts to aid the lowest earners at a time when Republicans are blocking nationwide measures in Congress.

By Alison Vekshin, Bloomberg | Updated on November 05, 2014
(Bloomberg) — U.S. voters raised the minimum wage in five states, including Illinois and Nebraska, as part of a wave of local efforts to aid the lowest earners at a time when Republicans are blocking nationwide measures in Congress.

The states, joined by Alaska, Arkansas and South Dakota, agreed to increase hourly pay rates above the $7.25 federal level, according to preliminary results from the Associated Press. The votes add fuel to a debate likely to emerge as a lightning rod in the 2016 U.S. presidential race.

“The current gridlock in government and failure to make significant progress on the minimum wage at the federal level has led to more activity on the state and local levels to create pressure on Congress from the bottom,” said Anthony Corrado, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

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