Nationally one thing became clear in last Tuesday’s election: when a minimum wage hike is on the ballot, even red state voters can pass it — often overwhelmingly.

In Missouri and Arkansas an increase to the minimum wage was on the ballot, and although aggressively opposed by state GOP leaders and big money business groups, it passed overwhelmingly in both red states. Voters passed measures that will raise those states’ minimum wages almost immediately, and thereafter increase it at regular intervals — over years it’ll be edging up substantially. In Arkansas the minimum wage measure passed with 68 percent in voting in favor.

If red state voters can accomplish such a feat for low-wage earners can blue Vermont do more?

Regionally pressure to raise the minimum wage is increasing. New York is phasing in a $15.00 minimum, and Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island have proposals in their legislatures to reach a $15.00 minimum. It isn’t too far-fetched that even traditionally low-minimum-wage New Hampshire might experience some pressure, now that the last election gave both houses in the state legislature a Democratic blue majority. And at NH’s current $7.50 per hour minimum, who can afford to work there if they can earn significantly more in a nearby state?

Vermont’s current minimum wage is $10.50, goes up to $10.80 in January 2019, and to $12.16 by 2024. Now Vermont doesn’t have ballot measures but a plan to increase the planned minimum was passed during the 2018 legislative session.

The 2018 legislative bill would have hiked our minimum to $15 per hour by 2024. It is estimated by the Economic Policy Institute that to meet basic housing, food, and transportation needs, a single full-time worker in rural Vermont needs to earn at least $15.00 per hour. However our GOP Governor Scott vetoed the increase which (along with a vetoed paid family-leave bill) would have made life in the state more affordable for actual working class families.

Maybe the new bluer so-called “super” majority of Democrats and Progressives in the Vermont legislature will decide to give Republican Scott a second chance at doing the minimum: making the lives of low-wage earners more affordable.