In November, five states will have a minimum wage referendum on the ballot. Here's a possible outcome of the vote.

• In the upcoming month, voters in Missouri, Alaska, and California will decide on minimum wage increases.
• Massachusetts and Arizona have proposals on the ballot to alter tipped worker wages.
• Alaska and Missouri voters will also consider paid sick leave proposals.

In November, at least three states will hold referendums on increasing their minimum wages.

According to Sebastian Martinez Hickey, a state economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, it is likely that ballot measures in Alaska, Missouri, and California will pass, resulting in larger paychecks for workers.

In 2014, 12 states increased their minimum wage through ballot measures, according to Martinez Hickey, who shared this information with CNBC.

In many states, a statewide ballot initiative is the only viable option, as conservative legislatures have failed to increase the wage.

In Arizona, tipped workers' minimum wage may be reduced through a ballot measure.

The minimum wage workers and their employers face consequences in the upcoming election.

Alaska: A $15 wage in a seasonal economy

The minimum wage in Alaska will be increased to $15 an hour by 2027, with inflation-adjusted increases after that. Ballot Measure No. 1 proposes raising the minimum wage to $13 in 2025 and $14 in 2026.

The EPI estimates that if approved, the increase in Alaska's current lowest possible hourly pay from $11.73 to a higher amount would significantly benefit those at the bottom of the earning scale, with the increase affecting approximately 30,800 Alaskans.

If the measure passes, employees would also have the opportunity to accumulate 40 or 56 hours of paid sick leave, based on the size of their company.

Joelle Hall, President of Alaska AFL-CIO, stated that increasing the minimum wage and mandating paid sick leave benefits both employees and small businesses by motivating workers to remain at jobs that provide stable compensation and respect.

Hall stated that the measure would enable parents to more afford fundamental requirements for their families, including healthcare and groceries.

The measure is opposed by the business community, as stated by Kati Capozzi, CEO of the Alaska Chamber.

This will be devastating for our small businesses in Alaska, who are already struggling to make ends meet due to the highly seasonal economy, surging prices, and limited workforce, according to Capozzi.

Missouri: Paid sick leave, gradual wage hikes

If Proposition A in Missouri is approved, the minimum wage will gradually increase, with a jump to $13.75 an hour on January 1, 2025, from the current lowest wage of $12.30. The minimum wage will reach $15 by 2026, and after that, increases will be based on inflation.

If the measure is passed, all employers would be mandated to provide their employees one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.

Richard von Glahn, the campaign manager for Missourians for Healthy Families and Fair Wages, stated that the ballot measure was of utmost importance.

"In Missouri, a full-time minimum wage worker earns less than $500 a week and 1 in 3 Missouri workers lack paid sick time."

He told CNBC that this situation compels individuals to make a choice between their well-being and financial obligations, which nobody should have to do.

California: $18 an hour for high living costs

In California, Proposition 32 proposes to increase the minimum wage from $16 to $18, with the timeline for implementation varying by employer size. Businesses with 25 or fewer workers would have until 2026 to pay the new wage, while larger employers would need to raise it to $18 in 2025 and $17 in the rest of 2024.

The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office in California estimated that such a change would likely increase wages for non-minimum wage workers.

Businesses are expected to pass on their additional labor expenses to customers, but LAO anticipates that the overall cost increases will be minimal, at less than half of 1%.

According to an analysis by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a single adult in California needs to earn $27.32 per hour to cover their basic expenses.

Massachusetts, Arizona diverge on tipped wages

This fall, Massachusetts and Arizona will have ballot measures regarding the minimum wage for workers who earn tips.

Tipped workers in restaurants and other businesses are often paid a lower hourly wage than the state minimum, under the assumption that tips will make up the difference. However, low-wage workers and labor advocates argue that this practice is frequently abused, leaving workers in a precarious and worse-off situation.

According to Martinez Hickey of the Economic Policy Institute, employers are legally obligated to ensure that tipped workers receive at least the regular minimum wage for the hours they worked in a week.

He stated that enforcing the law is challenging since it frequently necessitates workers to be aware of the law, calculate the difference between their wages and the legal minimum, and confront their employer.

The tipped minimum wage in Massachusetts, currently at $6.75 per hour, will gradually decrease until it reaches the state's standard minimum wage of $15 an hour by 2029.

In Arizona, Proposition 138 would allow businesses to pay tipped workers 25% less than the minimum wage if their total wages plus tips exceed $2 over the flat minimum wage across all their hours. Currently, tipped workers can be paid around 21% less than the current minimum wage of $14.35, as long as other requirements are met.

Geraldine Miranda, an economic policy analyst at The Arizona Center for Economic Progress, stated that the passing of the ballot measure would result in an average tipped worker losing approximately $1,400 annually, which is a step backward for Arizona's economy.

The Arizona Restaurant Association, led by president and CEO Steve Chucri, played a key role in getting the measure onto the ballot. Chucri stated that the measure would safeguard the restaurant and hospitality sector, which is crucial to Arizona's economy.

Proposition 138 is our best defense against union activists who intend to impose a California-style pay system on Arizona employers, according to Chucri.