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Despite big Republican wins in many states, voters in four states approved minimum wage increases, and voters in three states enacted paid sick day laws on Tuesday, giving a boost to progressive policy initiatives even in conservative parts of the country.

Minimum wage and paid sick day measures have been gaining momentum in the past year — but keep an eye out for bills promoted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) designed to crush that momentum and limit local control.

Minimum Wage Victories in Republican Strongholds

Voters in Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota all approved ballot measures raising the state minimum wage above the federal level of $7.25 per hour — even as those same voters elected Republicans for U.S. Senate.

• Alaska will increase the minimum wage to $9.75 in 2016, with 69 percent of voters supporting the increase. 
• Arkansas raised the minimum wage to $8.50 by 2017, with 65 percent voting in favor. 
• Nebraska’s minimum wage will rise to $9 by 2016, with 59 percent supporting the measure. 
• South Dakota’s wage will increase to $8.50, with 53 percent support.

Although those increases may not appear as dramatic as, say, San Francisco’s $15 per hour law, the measures are more progressive than they might appear: what counts as a fair wage in high-rent San Francisco is different than a fair wage in low-cost Arkansas.

Before election day, ten states enacted minimum wage increases in 2014, with nine out of those ten led by a Democratic governor and Democratic legislature. The exception is Michigan, where Republican Gov. Rick Snyder agreed to a lower wage to avoid putting a measure on the ballot calling for a higher wage.

Tuesday’s results suggest a disconnect between conservative voters and their elected officials: given the option to vote on specific economic issues, Republican voters supported progressive policies.