This round up via Campaign for America's Future:
Minimum wage ballot initiatives pass. WSJ: “Colorado, Arizona, Maine and Washington all passed minimum-wage increase initiatives, with Washington raising it to $13.50 per hour by 2020 and the others to $12 per hour in the same time frame. That would put them on the level of what is deemed the current statewide living wage by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s living-wage calculator, which uses location-specific expenditure data to estimate the wage needed to support an individual or family in a given area.”
Massachusetts voters reject charter school expansion. MassLive: “In a devastating loss for supporters of charter schools, Massachusetts voters on Tuesday voted against a ballot question that would have allowed the state to approve up to 12 new or expanded charter schools a year, outside of an existing cap … The pro-charter school money came from a mix of Massachusetts corporations, individuals working in the financial industry, out-of-state donors like the Walton family who owns Wal-Mart and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.”
Washington State rejects “revenue-neutral” carbon tax. Seattle Times: “Initiative 732, which sought to apply a tax on energy-derived coal, oil gas garnered just 42 percent after ballot counts around the state … The measure had trouble marshaling consensus among progressive and environmental groups.”
“Florida voters say no to misleading solar amendment” reports Miami Herald: “Florida voters rejected Amendment 1 on Tuesday, the utility-backed measure to limit rooftop solar expansion, after a scrappy, grassroots campaign and last-minute revelations raised doubts about the proponents’ claims that their goal was to expand solar generation … with nearly three-quarters of precincts reporting, the vote was almost evenly split, falling short of the 60 percent needed for a state constitutional amendment to become law.”
Progressive rising star Pramila Jayapal wins House seat. Huffington Post: “…she will be the first Indian-American woman to hold a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives … Jayapal will also join Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), the first Indian-American woman elected to the U.S. Senate … Jayapal earned an early endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
