Both Arkansas and Missouri backed initiatives to raise the minimum wage, as voters in 37 states decided on 155 statewide ballot measures.
In other voting on state issues, Missouri voters were projected to support the legalization of medical marijuana, and Utah voters also appeared to be backing such a measure, according to early unofficial results.
A Michigan proposal to legalize recreational use of marijuana had a significant lead in preliminary tallies, but North Dakota voters rejected such a measure. The mostly positive Election Day results for the marijuana industry could boost cannabis stocks MJ, +2.57% in Wednesday’s session.
The minimum wage in Arkansas, currently $8.50 an hour, is due to rise incrementally to reach $11 an hour by 2021. Missouri‘s minimum wage of $7.85 an hour is set to rise to $12 an hour by 2023.
In the battle over abortion, Alabama voters were projected to pass a ballot measure that effectively bans any right to an abortion or funding for abortions, and West Virginians backed an initiative to amend the state’s constitution to say the right to an abortion is not protected there.
Voters in Montana were showing support for an initiative that would expand Medicaid through a tobacco tax.
In California, Proposition 10 — a measure to expand rent control in the Golden State — was reportedly lagging far behind in early results. Californians also were voting on Proposition 8, which proposes limits on how much clinics can charge for dialysis, a vital treatment for people with kidney disease.
