US voters back minimum wage rise Americans voted to raise the minimum wage and legalise marijuana in ballot initiatives in several states, advancing liberal causes on an otherwise bleak election night for Democrats. Votes to increase the minimum wage in four Republican-leaning states - Arkansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Alaska - revealed that popular support for the move crossed party lines outside Washington. In the hands of President Barack Obama, however, the policy has lacked such broad appeal. Mr Obama has campaigned to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 per hour, but Republicans in Congress have blocked the effort. The voters of Illinois, who ejected a Democratic governor on Tuesday, also expressed support for raising the state's minimum wage to $10 an hour, but state legislators are not bound to act on their wishes. In separate ballot measures, voters in Oregon, Alaska and Washington DC chose to legalise recreational marijuana, following in the footsteps of Colorado and Washington state in 2012. Congress, however, can block the capital's move. Champions of legal pot, however, suffered a setback in Florida, where voters chose not to permit even medical marijuana, which is already allowed in 23 states and Washington DC. On the minimum wage, the four Republican-leaning states voted to raise their levels to between $8.50 per hour and $9.75. Conservative economists who say a higher minimum wage leads to fewer jobs continue to spar with liberal economists over the wisdom of wage rises. In Arkansas and Alaska, two pivotal states in the battle for control of the Senate, the wage ballot initiatives were strategically placed by Democrats to help the party get out voters to fend off challenges to the party's incumbents. They were not enough, however, as Republicans took the Arkansas seat and appeared well placed to win Alaska too. President Barack Obama has sought to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. But while he is stymied in Washington Democrats have taken the fight to the state level: 38 states have introduced minimum wage bills since the beginning of the year and 12 have enacted increases. Many smaller jurisdictions have also followed suit, such as the city of Seattle, which increased its minimum wage to $15 an hour.