Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approve minimum wage hike

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald

By Paul Hammel

LINCOLN — Nebraska voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative Tuesday to raise the state’s minimum wage, joining 23 states that currently set minimum wages higher than what’s mandated by the federal government.

Initiative 425, backed by a $1.4 million war chest, faced no organized opposition.

It will hike the state’s minimum wage to $8 per hour in 2015, and to $9 an hour in 2016.

In the past, Nebraska has always followed the minimum wage mandated by the federal government, which is $7.25 per hour.

Contact the writer: 402-473-9584, [e-mail]

Read more: http://www.omaha.com/news/politics/voters-approve-minimum-wage-hike/article_299d19b4-6449-11e4-89fb-001a4bcf6878.html

---

Early results below.

[lancdem]

1. hmmm ... so even red state voters are on board

i love how arkansas elected that horrible tom cotton while also voting to increase the minimum wage. just leaves me shaking my head.

[LibDemAlways]

2. Too many voters are clueless. They consistently vote for

people who'd like nothing better than to consign them to a life of servitude and misery. It boggles the mind.

[rurallib]

3. no doubt many of the Cotton voters

are the same ones affected by the minimum wage raise or are related or know someone who is.

A real head shaker.

[erpowers]

4. Is This Why It Is Hard For Democrats to Win in Red States?

The the fact that Nebraska voted for a minimum wage increase the reason Democrats struggle to win Senate races in red states? It seems people in red states can vote themselves higher minimum wages while at the same time sending others people to the Senate to deny minimum wage increases to almost everyone else.