The passage of the ballot measure would have raised the minimum wage for workers who earn tips from $6.75 to $15 an hour.

Ballot Question 5​ left Massachusetts voters with a choice - should the state raise the minimum wage for tipped workers?

Voters in Massachusetts battered down a proposal that would have raised the minimum wage of tipped workers to match that of nontipped workers. Question 5 was failing 64%-36% around the time when the Associated Press called the contest at 12:30 a.

With about 75% of precincts reporting, 64% voted against increasing the minimum wage for tipped workers, according to the Associated Press.

Massachusetts voters rejected a proposal to gradually increase how much employers must pay workers who collect tips, like servers in restaurants. The state’s wage for tipped workers is now $6.75 an hour,

This proposal would gradually raise the tipped minimum wage over a five-year period, starting with an increase to 64 percent of the state minimum wage on Jan. 1, 2025 and ending with a match to 100% on Jan.

Massachusetts voters said yes to auditing the Legislature but rejected increasing the hourly wage for workers who collect tips. Those were among five measures on Tuesday’s ballot, including giving union rights to drivers for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft.

Massachusetts voters rejected a measure to raise the tipped minimum wage from $6.75 an hour to $15, according to the Associated Press. Why it matters: The measure would have shaken up tipping culture in Massachusetts and raised questions about its effects on restaurants and top-earning waiters and bartenders.