Four states saw ballot initiatives to raise the minimum wage, and voters in all four states overwhelmingly approved them. Arizona, Colorado, and Maine all approved increases to the state minimum wage of $12 per hour by 2020. In Washington, the rate will go up to $13.50 by 2020. In all of these states, the rate will then go up with the cost of living after 2020.

The city of Flagstaff, Arizona, also voted in favor of a wage increase. There, wages will hit $15 by 2020. The mythical number thought unattainable by so many when the demand was first floated several years ago is now on the march, joining sixteen other cities and counties and two states who have already passed $15. Another thirty-three cities have also set city or countywide wages higher than their state rate but have not yet reached $15.

The Flagstaff and Maine measures also eliminate lower minimum wages for tipped workers. In Maine, tipped workers currently earn $3.75 per hour; by 2024, they will earn the state minimum. The Arizona and Washington measures also include provisions for paid sick leave.