LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Supporters of a higher minimum wage have collected nearly 135,000 signatures to place the issue on the November ballot, well beyond the minimum required.
The group Nebraskans for Better Wages announced the final number on Thursday, minutes before submitting the signatures to the secretary of state's office for verification. Approximately 81,000 signatures are needed to qualify.
The measure would let voters decide whether Nebraska should gradually increase its minimum wage from the current $7.25 an hour, the same as the federal minimum wage, to $9 by 2017.
State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, a co-chair of the petition campaign, says volunteers gathered signatures from all 93 Nebraska counties. Conrad says the group will now start preparing for the November election.
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