What to Know
Prop 6 would have eliminated a provision in the California constitution that allowed forced labor as a punishment for crime. Colorado, Tennessee, Alabama and Vermont are among states that have already voted eliminate similar forced labor exemptions.The ballot proposition was one of 10 voted on by Californians in the November election.A California ballot proposition that would have amended the state constitution to ban forced prison labor has failed.
Prop 6 was one of 10 statewide props on the November election ballot in California. As of Monday, 54 percent of voters rejected the measure with 46 percent casting a vote in support.
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The state constitution already prohibits so-called involuntary servitude. The exception that allows it to be used as a punishment for crime became the focus of criminal justice advocates, leading to Prop 6 appearance on the ballot
While the voters of California did not pass Proposition 6 this time, we have made significant progress, Abolish Slavery National Network co-founder Jamilia Landsaid in a statement. We are proud of the movement we have built, and we will not rest until we see this issue resolved once and for all.
Prisoners are often paid less than $1 an hour for labor such as fighting fires, cleaning cells and doing landscaping work at cemeteries.
The failed Proposition 6 was part of a package of reparations proposals introduced by California lawmakers in 2024. They were part of an effort to address a history of discrimination against Black Californians.
Colorado, Tennessee, Alabama and Vermont are among states that have already voted eliminate similar forced labor exemptions in their constitutions. Nevada passed a measure in the November election.
The 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution also bans slavery and involuntary servitude except as a punishment for crime.
Proposition 6 saw the second-least campaign spending among the 10 statewide initiatives on the ballot this year, about $1.9 million, according to the California Secretary of State’s office. It had no formal opposition.