AUGUSTA, Maine - Maine election officials say a citizens' initiative drive to increase the state minimum wage has gathered enough valid signatures to qualify for a vote.
The Maine Secretary of State's Office announced Tuesday that the Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions found 75,275 valid signatures for the petition. A minimum of 61,123 signatures is required.
The bureau found 11,163 invalid signatures.
The petition proposes raising the minimum wage to $9 per hour in 2017 and by $1 per hour each year after that until it is $12 per hour in 2020.
Maine's minimum wage now stands at $7.50 an hour, 25 cents above the federal minimum.
The Legislature can now choose to enact the bill as written or to send it to voters on the November ballot.